


Fractured Destiny

by Loopstagirl



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Reincarnation, mental institutes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2017-12-15 07:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 87,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loopstagirl/pseuds/Loopstagirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin lived an ordinary life until memories of a previous existence come filtering back through. As he finds friends and foes alike, there is one problem. Despite knowing he is alive - and fifteen years younger than the rest of them - why does no one have no clue as to where Arthur actually is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners.  
> I started this as a drabble prompt and you could say the plot bunny bit.

A five year old boy sat huddled on the bed. Arthur had his knees pulled up to his chest and his head buried in his arms, folded across the tops of his knees. He was as small as he could possible make himself, yet he knew that it wouldn’t be enough. It was never going to be enough, for there was nowhere to hide.

In a world only of whiteness, there were no shadows to hide within.

Everything around him was white. The walls, the doors, the floor, the bed-sheets… His clothes, his slippers, even the dressing gown thrown over the end of the bed from where Arthur had refused to pick it up properly. There was nowhere that he could go to escape it for they could even drag him out from under the bed if he tried to take shelter there. It had once been pressed against the wall, but when they had realised it meant he could stay out of reach, they had moved it into the middle of the room.

Them.

The people that filled Arthur’s nightmares.

They told him that his father had sent him here, that the man didn’t want him anymore because he thought that Arthur was a freak. Everyone out there thought that he was a freak, but Arthur knew differently.

He was a king.

The memories were hazy, often only revealing themselves to him in dreams. Nightmares would be a better word, for Arthur knew that he had jerked himself awake with his own screams just the night before. He was remembering the life of a man, a warrior and a king. But he was only a child now, he had no idea what it was that he was seeing.

He did know two things, however.

One was that these visions were real. He was once a King, in a different life or however it worked. He knew that others wouldn’t believe him; they would try and make him think that he was crazy or just deluded. But they were the ones who were wrong, for Arthur knew who he was.

The second thing he was sure about was that magic existed.

He hadn’t told anyone else this yet. It was bad enough the way they looked at him when he admitted that he hadn’t done any of the exercises they had set him. Why should he? He knew that he wasn’t crazy; he knew that what he was seeing was the truth. It was other people’s problems if they didn’t believe him, not his. He had tried for Freya, he really had. She had been lovely, never once judging him and never once telling him that he was being silly. She would give him cuddles when the dreams got to bad and was always there to listen. Arthur knew the exercises wouldn’t help, but he had tried for her, and always was rewarded by a warm smile that made his heart soar.

But Freya was gone now. They said that she had been assigned somewhere else, but knew that wasn’t the case. They had got rid of her because they knew that she believed him. She wasn’t making him stop saying that he was a king, and they hadn’t liked it. “They” came in the form of his new nurse, Morgause, and the man that always lurked at her side. Arthur was sure that they had told him this man was a doctor, but he wasn’t convinced. There was something about Cendred that made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

Arthur just wished he knew why he didn’t like them. His memories weren’t helping him, he was just getting hazy messages about things that meant nothing to him. Merlin would know, Merlin would have all the answers.

But that involved knowing where Merlin was.

Arthur had no clue. The first time he had seen Morgause’ eyes flash when she hadn’t realised he was looking had made Arthur’s heart soar and he had truly believed that it meant Merlin was on his way to get him. Yet Merlin had never arrived, and Morgause had gripped his arm so tightly the next day that red marks had appeared. Arthur knew that she wasn’t going to help him, yet there was no one to tell.

His father had sent him away and Merlin hadn’t found him yet.

Until one of them came for him again, Arthur knew he was stuck. Locked in a psychiatric hospital with its white clothes and white walls and no one believing that he wasn’t crazy offered no way out for the terrified five year old. Thinking about how trapped he was reminded Arthur of the dream that had woken him up only moments before and the child let out a sob, diving off the bed and under it.

They might still be able to get to him, but it at least offered some sort of comfort. He knew that it was late, although what time it was he couldn’t be sure. There was always a dim light on in the room, Arthur hadn’t known complete darkness for the six months that he had been here for now. Initially, he had been unable to sleep in the light, but lack of choice meant that he was used to it. He wasn’t sure he could deal with the darkness now, not considering the dreams had begun to get more and more vivid over the last few weeks and Arthur wasn’t sure what would emerge from the darkness if the light was ever to turn off.

What the child didn’t notice was the small camera monitoring his every move. When Arthur took shelter under the bed, sniffling to himself, he had no idea that a few rooms down, a woman sighed and climbed to her feet. Arthur kept himself hidden away even as he heard the door to his room open. He had originally been with the children – what few of them there were, not many were admitted at his age – but when the nightmares had got too bad and Arthur had flatly refused to see reality, they had put him on his own. He tried not to think about how that had also been when Freya had left and Morgause had arrived.

“Arthur?”

Said boy squeaked and immediately hid his face away again, pressing himself as far under the bed as he could without coming out the other side.

“Come on, Arthur, come out now.”

“No.” Arthur knew that Nimueh would walk across the room and crouch down. She would sit cross-legged on the floor and simply wait for him the way that Freya used to do. But her eyes didn’t burn with the same compassion as his previous nurse’s had. Nimueh watched him closely and shrewdly, almost as if she expected him to try and bolt. The fact that she remained so tense meant Arthur _did_ feel like running at times, despite knowing there was nowhere for him to go.

“Arthur.”

Arthur knew that warning note in her voice. He knew that it meant he had no choice. If Nimueh grew angry, she would drag him out and Arthur knew he would be in trouble again. He didn’t mean to get into trouble so often, but the fact that he knew he was right meant he simply refused to listen most of the time.

“Do I need to get Cendred?”

Arthur was moving almost before Nimueh finished the name. Arthur knew that Cendred kept a constant supply of sedatives on his person and even the sound of his footsteps coming down the hallway filled Arthur with dread. Keeping his head down, he crawled out from under the bed, sitting glumly on the floor next to Nimueh.

“That wasn’t too hard, was it?” Arthur shook his head, slowly looking up.

The second he met her eyes, however, Arthur found that he couldn’t breathe.

He knew those eyes. He didn’t just mean because he had seen Nimueh more than once in the hospital. He somehow knew them from a long time ago. The dream from the night before came crashing back into his mind with far more clarity than he had felt at the time and he barely even notice that he had leapt to his feet.

In his dream, he had been in a dark cave, a mysterious woman trying to kill him with spiders. But it was only now that Arthur realised who the woman was. Why would Nimueh be in his dream unless she had some role in his past life as well? But rational thought was escaping the scared child and Arthur stumbled as he leapt to his feet and ran for the door.

He couldn’t stay here with her, she wanted to kill him!

“Arthur.”

Ignoring the commanding tone to her voice, Arthur let out a sob as he ran for the door. She had magic, she was from his past. There was no way that she was here to help him, she was just as bad as Morgause! Tears streamed down his face as he tugged at the locked door. On realising he was trapped with her, Arthur began screaming.

-x-

“I just don’t understand this.” Merlin sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him and running his fingers through his hair. Papers surrounded him, scattered across the sofa and spread around the floor.

“Why don’t you run through what you do know?” Her long hair tied back in a lose plait, Morgana looked up at him sympathetically. She was sitting on the floor, somehow managing to look stunning despite the fact they had been sitting around all day. Gwaine, on the other hand, looked completely wrecked from where he seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open.

“We know that Uther is in prison, having been set up by Odin.”

“Or Cendred, we don’t know which yet.” Merlin nodded at Leon’s interruption and sighed again.

“Or both. We know that Arthur was definitely born and should be about five by now if the facts are right. We also know that he is nowhere to be seen.”

“Maybe the storm didn’t affect him?” Morgana mused, leaning her head tiredly on Leon’s leg and letting her fiancée stroke her hair reassuringly.

“The same storm that returned our memories to us simultaneously even though we were scattered across the globe? Where were you again, Lance, Peru?”

“Uruguay.” Lancelot muttered, folding his arms and leaning his head back on the wall. Gwen offered him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder as she made her way out into the kitchen.

“See, Morgana? How could he have not been affected?”

“He wasn’t of age, the rest of us were. He’s just a child.”

“But if he wasn’t affected, then that doesn’t explain that we have no idea where he is.”

“I think he was affected.” Gwaine suddenly announced, climbing to his feet with a yawn. Merlin tilted his head back to watch his old friend. They had been friends before they had even remembered who they were.

“Why?”

“If he hasn’t, then surely he would have turned up in our searches? We’ve looked through every care home and possible relatives, the whole lot. He simply seemed to disappear when Uther was arrested. Someone knows who he is, and they are making sure that we can’t find him.”

“He’s a child though.”

“Exactly.” Leon sat up a little straighter even as Gwaine disappeared. The slamming of the bathroom door meant no one even attempted to question where he was going.

“What do you mean?” Merlin curled his legs around him as he frowned at the man.

“They can take him as a child, who will believe anything he says? They’ll just say it is a fantasy, what child doesn’t play at being a king and a knight? They could be raising him in broad daylight and the neighbours would never question why a little boy is playing with swords and claiming he is King Arthur, especially as we know that he kept his name.”

“One problem though.” Merlin let his eyes fall shut.

“What?”

“Who are they?” Silence met his question and Merlin shook his head. He wished that his magic was how it used to be. But even if both he and Morgana combined their power, they wouldn’t have enough for a tracking spell. Arthur was out there somewhere, and Merlin knew that he had to try and find him. What would happen when he did, he had no idea. The chances were that there was just a content little boy with an over-active imagination playing happily. If that was the case, Merlin knew that he could move on and get on with his life, even if that was just adapting to getting used to having his old memories back.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if someone knew precisely who Arthur was and were doing as Morgana said by making sure they couldn’t get to him?

“We should get some sleep.” There was something reassuring about Leon’s voice, something that made Merlin feel like they could actually sort this mess out, simply because he said so. He had always been good at taking charge, and now more than ever Merlin appreciated that. Morgana climbed to her feet as Leon spoke, already moving to pick up her coat. Gwen came out of the kitchen at the same time, giving Lancelot a nudge to get him moving.

“You’ll send me the details of that florist?”

Despite everything they had been talking about up until now, Merlin had to smile at the worry in Gwen’s voice as her mind turned to her own wedding. Morgana grinned, giving her friend’s arm a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll have them for you by the morning.”

“She won’t sleep a wink tonight then.” Lancelot took Gwen’s hand, smiling at her gently as Leon wrapped his arm around Morgana.

“We’ll check back in tomorrow?”

“Get out of here.” Waving them off, Merlin kept the smile on his face as the two couples moved out of the door. Elyan and Percival were back as well, but they had been unable to make the evening through prior commitments. Merlin for one was just glad that Morgana was firmly back on their side, for he didn’t even want to consider what would be happening to Arthur if she had continued with her thirst for revenge over something that wasn’t his fault.

“Bed, you.” Merlin rolled his eyes at Gwaine’s reappearance, but shook his head.

“I’m going to clean up in here first.” Gwaine seemed to realise that there was no talking Merlin out of it and nodded.

“Don’t stay up too late?”

“Go on, anyone would think you are getting soft.” Gwaine flipped his best friend the finger before disappearing up to bed, leaving Merlin chuckling to himself. He knew that he wanted to make sure the pieces of paper were hidden before turning in himself, but that involved getting off the sofa and moving, something Merlin wasn’t sure he was capable of right now.

Instead, he leant back and let his eyes fall shut. He’ll just rest here for a moment and then make a move. Just a few seconds…

As was always the way, Merlin had no idea that he had fallen asleep until dreams clouded his mind. He had never dreamt like this before though, everything was so vivid and clear.

_All around him was darkness, he had no idea where he was. There was nothing that would give him a clue as to his whereabouts, and Merlin realised enough to know that his magic wouldn’t give him any light. Someone else was here though, he could hear the sounds of sobs coming from over to his right._

_“Hello? Is anyone there?”_

_“Don’t let them take me! Please! Please, Merlin, you have to get me out!”_

_A cold feeling settled in the pit of Merlin’s stomach. It might have been years since he had last heard it, and it might be coming from the voice of a terrified child rather than a king, but Merlin would know Arthur anywhere._

_“Arthur? It’s okay, where are you? I’m coming to find you, I promise.”_

_“I’m…No!” Arthur’s scream made Merlin’s heart pound uncomfortably hard and he whirled around on the spot._

_“Arthur, what’s happening?”_

_“Merlin! Merlin, help me!! Help!”_

_“Arthur!”_

“Merlin? Merlin, wake up!” The feeling of a hand on his shoulder jolted Merlin back into reality and Gwaine only just stepped back in time to avoid being head-butted as Merlin lurched upwards. It took a few moments before his breathing began to calm down and Merlin blinked in surprise to feel that there were tears running down his cheeks. Even as he got control of his breathing, he could still feel his heart pounding.

“You were having a nightmare.”

“You don’t say.”  Merlin glanced around, blinking when he saw that Gwaine looked half asleep.

“How quickly did you drop off?”

“Merlin, mate, it’s been about four hours since I went to bed. Came down to get a drink, heard you muttering. You said Arthur’s name, is that who you were dreaming about?”

“He was so scared, Gwaine. Screaming and pleading for me to help him, and I couldn’t even see where he was.”

“He’s bound to be on your mind after tonight. I’ll get you a drink.” Gwaine gave Merlin’s shoulder a squeeze before making to move off, but Merlin grabbed his wrist. Gwaine started in surprise at the almost desperate lok in Merlin’s eyes as the man shook his head.

“Gwaine, this wasn’t a dream from the past. I think this was something now, he was a child. Gwaine, I think… I think Arthur’s in trouble. He’s relying on me to go and get him out.”

“It was just a dream, Merlin. Your magic isn’t powerful enough here to give you visions.”

“No.” Merlin shook his head, leaning over and taking a deep breath.

“That was not just a dream. He needs me.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Why did you scream, Arthur?”

Arthur glared. He was sitting on his bed, his knees tucked up into his chest and resisting the urge to hide his face away. He didn’t think Morgause would let him, and with her sitting on the other end of his bed, she was too close for comfort in order to risk it. Her voice was soft and caring, but Arthur knew not to be fooled. She never wanted to help him, and she never would. He didn’t know why, but he knew he couldn’t ignore the feeling in his gut. His instincts were telling him to get as far away from this woman as possible. Knowing that, as a King, his instincts would have saved him in the past, Arthur found he was listening to them again now. He might not be able to physically get away from her, but he could at least deny her any of the answers she wanted.

“Did you think she was going to hurt you? You know Nimueh is only here to help you, Arthur. She’s your friend, she’s going to help you try and get back to your father. Isn’t that what you want? She can’t do that if you constantly fight against her. Why did you scream?”

“She was going to kill me.” Arthur mumbled. He realised sitting in silence would only prolong how Morgause was in the room with him for. He wanted her gone, and talking seemed to be the only way he could get rid of her. At only five – not to mention terrified – Arthur didn’t even think of trying to come up with some sort of lie. He was convinced that Morgause always knew when he was lying.

“Did she threaten you, Arthur? Did she do anything that made you afraid?”

“Yes. In the past.”

“While you were here at the institution, you mean?” Arthur felt his glare deepen as he shook his head. He knew what Morgause wanted; she wanted him to say it out loud when he meant.

“Then when? When did she give you the idea that she wanted to hurt you.”

“Before.” Arthur mumbled, staring at his knees. Morgause knew what he meant. Arthur always referred to his time as King as “before”.

“When you were a king, you mean? How did she try and kill you, Arthur?”

“Spiders.”

“There you are then.” Arthur stared at Morgause, hating the way she was smiling at him as if she had just solved all of his problems.

“There are no spiders that can kill you here, Arthur. I know you don’t like them, and you seem to be resisting Nimueh’s help. Your mind is just playing tricks on you. It was showing you your fear, and a face you already recognised and just giving you a nightmare about them. None of it was real, Nimueh would never do anything to hurt you. You have no reason to be scared, understand?”

Arthur sniffed, finally giving into the temptation and burying his face in his folded arms. He just wanted Merlin to come and take him away from it all, possible even take him back to his father. He didn’t want to be here anymore, he didn’t want to be doing this. He wasn’t crazy, but with each day that passes, Arthur wondered whether he was going to go mad. He had seen some of the patients who were truly mad, and they had terrified him. He didn’t want to end up like that!

“I said; do you understand?” Morgause grabbed his arm, forcing Arthur to unfold himself as he struggled to maintain his balance. The child immediately pushed against her, trying to tug his arm free but Morgause’s grip was too strong.

“Arthur. Do you understand me? These are just dreams, nothing more. You were never a king, and you are never going to be.” Arthur didn’t even notice that he had started crying until Morgause let go of his arm again.

“Come now, no need for tears. You are quite safe here, Arthur, I can promise you that.” With those words, the nurse unfolded herself from the edge of the bed. She either didn’t notice or ignored the way that Arthur flinched away from her as she patted him on the head before turning to leave the room. As soon as she had stepped away from him, Arthur dived off the side of the bed and took shelter underneath it. They might be able to drag him out, but at least it meant he was being awkward. He was not just going to let this happen, and the bed offered some sort of sanctuary. He heard Morgause tut as she clearly looked back and saw what he had done. Arthur tensed, but Morgause continued her way to the door and left. Arthur pretended that he didn’t hear the lock click behind her.

Instead, he just curled himself into a tighter ball and let the sobs he had been holding back for the whole encounter come tearing free. For a wild moment, Arthur realised that he was struggling to breathe until he managed to catch himself, trembling and shaking as he stayed curled up.

“Merlin, please…” he whispered, sniffling as he made himself as small as possible and made sure the wall was pressing into his back so that no one would be able to sneak up behind him.

“Please come and find me. Come and take me home…” Exhausted from being so emotional for so long, Arthur continued to cry until he fell asleep, still under the bed. He had no idea what dreams would offer him this time, but Arthur was too tired to stay awake any longer.

Back in the control room, Morgause cursed as the child’s tears stopped and sleep overtook him.

“Why hasn’t Merlin come? He should be looking for Arthur by now! If we remember, so does he! That warlock’s magic is mine!”

“He’ll come.” Morgause glared at Cendred, nudging his legs until he finally got his feet down from her desk. The man just smirked smugly up at her, however, continuing to peel an apple and slice pieces off with a deliberate slowness.

“How can you be so sure? Arthur’s calling for him, and he was calling for him in his dreams as well. Merlin must be hearing him, he’s the boy’s destiny. We’re telling Arthur he is imagining it all, how long until he actually starts believing us?”

“He won’t, the dreams are too strong.”

“He’s a child, there is no telling what he’ll do.”

“Well, maybe we just haven’t given Merlin enough incentive yet.” Morgause frowned at Cendred, trying to work out what he meant as the man grinned up at her. She hated him being involved, but she had no choice. Just like Merlin and Morgana, her magic wasn’t a patch on what it used to be in this time. She needed him if she was to get Merlin in her grasp. Not to mention Arthur seemed genuinely terrified of Cendred and the more emotional the child was, the more likely his destiny was to turn up.

“What do you mean?”

“The kid is calling to him, true. But he’s just upset, he’s not really scared of us. Besides, the brat still has a noble heart, why else would he be remembering he was a king? Do you remember what it took to make Prince Arthur fear us? Even as a child, Arthur is strong.”

“What are you getting at?”

“He’s still just a child. Move him into isolation and see how long it takes Merlin to come for him then.”

“You know how much he hates it in there. We’ve only done it twice, and the first time was because he had genuinely flipped out.”

“Exactly. Terrify the brat and Merlin will come running.”

Morgause glanced back at the monitors showing Arthur’s room. The rest of the hospital just believed they were working on a sensitive case, that was why the staff and the patient were separated. But they wouldn’t be able to hide what they were doing if Arthur was still amongst the other children. She couldn’t see anything, a sign that Arthur was still under the bed, but found herself smiling softly.

“You are an evil man, Cendred.” She murmured, already beginning to plan the best way of trapping Merlin once they had Arthur locked up. She glanced over her shoulder back at Cendred to see him smirk and raise an eyebrow suggestively. Shaking her head, Morgause leant over and kissed him. Cendred put the apple down to one side, yanked her forward and kissed her neck.

Morgause didn’t say anything, just let him have his way. Yet even as Cendred began exploring more heatedly, Morgause found her eyes glued to the monitor. Soon, Merlin wouldn’t be able to ignore the terrified shouts in his mind from his young destiny. And when he came for Arthur, Morguase would be waiting.

This time, she wouldn’t lose.

-X-

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Merlin couldn’t help but just stare at Morgana as they got out of her car. She had been acting mysterious for days now, clearly planning something but not telling Merlin what it was. He would have been worried if it wasn’t for Leon telling him it was nothing to worry about. Merlin knew the man wouldn’t let his fiancée do anything that could potentially be dangerous. Leon seemed determined that he was going to hold onto Morgana this time around, and he was the only one who could get her to listen.

But right now, however, Merlin was staring at the grey building in front of him as if she had lost her mind.

“What?”

“You’ve brought me to a prison. Is this some kind of confession?” Morgana gave him a mock shove as she rounded the car and shut Merlin’s door for him as he seemed to have completely frozen.

“You know which prison, right? You know who is inside?”

“How the hell did you get us a meeting with Uther?!” Merlin wasn’t sure how he felt about going to see the ex-King. He just had to remind himself that the man was locked up; it wasn’t like he could do anything to them now. Morgana sighed, coming to stand in front of Merlin and looking him straight in the eye.

“It’s hard for me too. I still have the memories of how much I hated this man. But we know without a doubt that Uther was set up, someone wanted him out of the way. The chances are that whoever that is also knows where Arthur is. It’s worth a shot.”

“Why would he talk to us?” Despite his complaining, Merlin found that he was falling in step with Morgana as she strode towards the gates. She was right, it was worth a shot. Besides, Merlin knew what it must be costing her facing Uther, and he was not about to leave her do it on her own. Morgana glanced over her shoulder at him.

“It is his little boy. Do you think he wants his son in the hands of the people who set him up? If Uther knows anything, he’ll tell us. He won’t have a choice if he wants Arthur safe.”

Merlin tried not wince at how much like a threat that sounded but instead hurried after her. They were waved through the gates when Morgana gave their names, and then subjected to a grilling process before they were finally allowed in. Merlin found himself shuddering, wondering what kind of prison this was if that was what they had to go through in order to just speak to Uther.

They were shown into a room. It seemed to be relatively bare, but then Merlin noticed there was a clear divider down the centre of the room, with chairs placed opposite each other either side. Morgana slipped into the chair and Merlin found himself hovering behind him as Uther was shown into the room. His whole body tensed in anger when he saw who it was, but he allowed the guard to shackle him to the chair before retreating.

“What do you want?” Uther was blunt and cold and Merlin found he was biting his lip. Even after all this time, the man scared him. But Morgana just lifted her chin and stared at Uther coldly.

“Arthur.” Uther bristled and Merlin heard the shackles rattle as the man tensed. Merlin swallowed yet Morgana stayed impassive.

“What about him? What have you done to my son!?”

“We’re trying to find him, Uther. Merlin knows he is around somewhere, we just can’t locate him. We might not have the same magic as before,” Merlin ignored the way Uther flinched, “but we have enough to find Arthur. Yet we can’t, he’s been hidden from us.”

“Good. Your kind should stay away from my son.”

“Who do you think is hiding him from us, from his destiny, Uther?” Morgana stared at the man pointedly, making him realise precisely where he was and therefore who had been the ones to put him in that position. He jerked upright, his face furious.

“If they’ve hurt him, so help me, I’ll…” He seemed incapable of finishing his threat, instead slumping back down in the chair. Merlin frowned, properly looking at the man. He looked exhausted and worn, and the younger man could see the way worry settled heavily on his shoulders. Uther had known before they had walked in that Arthur was missing, Merlin could just tell. Locked up, he had no contacts, no influence in the outside world that would help enable him to find his young son.

“Whose they, Uther?” Merlin had to force himself not to shrink back as Uther turned his gaze onto him. The man seemed to barely recognise him and Merlin found himself straightening his shoulders, determined not to still act like the serving boy from all those years ago. For a long moment, Uther didn’t look like he was going to say anything, but then seemed to realise that he had no choice.

“Cendred. I knew he was around, and I knew precisely who he was as well. They came in the night, they had all the evidence there to plant. I don’t remember much, I think they drugged me after they planted the body.”

“Why didn’t you demand a blood test on arrest then?”

“They planned it, girl. They falsified the results, it just made me sound crazy more than anything. Arthur was there when the police came, he was scared. I tried to go to him, to tell him that everything was going to be okay. They handcuffed me instead, Arthur started to cry.”

Uther fell silent again, but neither Morgana nor Merlin said anything. They could see by the look on the man’s face that this was painful for him. Despite Uther’s flaws in their previous life, no one could deny how much he cared for Arthur. The fact that his prince was still just a small child in this world made it so much harder.

“I was dragged out, they weren’t listening to my pleas that someone stayed with the boy. They claimed a doctor was on hand, he would look after Arthur. I was relieved, until I saw it was Cendred. He was standing behind Arthur, he had a needle in his hand. I tried to shout, but he had injected my boy with whatever it was before I could say anything. They pushed me into the police car and the last view I had of my little boy was Cendred picking him up. Arthur was asleep, he must have just given him a sedative. He carried him straight past the car, knowing I could see.”

Merlin blinked fiercely, finding his eyes swimming with tears at Uther’s tale. Not because he felt for the once tyrant King, it would take so much more than that before he started trusting Uther again. But the fact that Arthur had been so scared, and his own father hadn’t been able to go to him in order to comfort him.

“Time’s up.” The door opening made all three of them jump, but Uther leant forward as the guard came into the room, locking eyes with Merlin.

“Find him. Whatever you do, find my son.” His voice was desperate yet soft as the guard approached, clearly not wanting to be overheard. He was uncuffed and led from the room, but twisted to face them with a pleading expression just before he was taken out.

“We will.” Merlin found himself promising, watching relief flicker in Uther’s eyes before the door shut. Merlin leant shakily against a wall, running his hand through his hair and blowing out a long breath. He never thought he would ever be promising Uther Pendragon anything, yet he had meant what he had said. They were going to find Arthur and keep him safe, no matter what it took to do so. Merlin had always taken destiny seriously, he wasn’t going to stop now.

“Never thought the day would come when Uther would trust us with Arthur.” Morgana nodded distractedly and Merlin knew he had somehow missed a point.

“What?” Morgana turned to look at him, biting her lip in thought. As she locked eyes with Merlin, he was astonished to see a small smile slowly beginning to spread over her face.

“They said Cendred was a doctor.”

Merlin suddenly grinned himself, understanding precisely what she was getting at. Without another word, the two of them hurried from the room, collected their belongings and racing for the car. Both were already on the phone to their friends before they had even reached the vehicle, barking instructions down the line to whoever had picked up.

For the first time since their memories had returned, they had a starting point. They could properly start looking for the Once and Future King.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur, for once, was sitting and playing contently. He was in the main room, a few other patients milling around. No one paid any attention to the little boy sitting in the middle of the floor with a toy dragon. Arthur himself didn’t seem to notice what was going on around him, he was too busy planning out a battle against the dragon and wondering why something about it felt so familiar. He didn’t let the memories cloud his mind, however, but just continued with his game in the same way that any child would.

“We don’t have a reason to take him now, he’s fine.” Morgause hissed, peering around the door to the room and almost groaning when she saw how calm Arthur was.

“Why do we need a reason? We’re the ones in the right, who is going to stop us?” Morgause just gave her partner a look, causing Cendred to glare back. He knew perfectly well why. This part was the one room where they overlapped with the real hospital, and the other members of staff would not just let them put a boy in isolation when he was playing happily and not causing any trouble. Cendred sighed, but nodded.

“Fine.”

“What?” Morgause knew that he always found a way to get what he wanted. Cendred grinned.

“Arthur never has liked me.”

Without another word, he moved into the main room. Arthur didn’t see him coming, he was pushing the dragon around the floor and making it climb up the small chairs that were scattered around. Morgause found herself leaning around the corner, almost watching in amusement to see what Cendred would do in order to get Arthur to notice him. Arthur was known to notice small things that should have escaped his attention as a child; the knight in him was still alert and aware. But when they needed him to see something, Arthur could remain just as oblivious as he had been all those lifetimes ago.

This was just one of those occasions. Cendred had to follow the boy almost the whole way around the room as Arthur’s game made him move. Morgause was openly laughing by the time the doctor looked back at her, and that just seemed to fire Cendred up even more.

“Arthur.”

There was a commanding tone in his voice, a sign of the king Cendred had once been. Arthur glanced over his shoulder and instantly swallowed when he saw the doctor standing over him, and Morgause didn’t miss the way the dragon was clutched instantly to his chest. Arthur didn’t say anything, just looked up at Cendred with wide eyes.

“You need to come away for your lessons now, Arthur.” Cendred reached out a hand to appear to be helping Arthur. Just as he knew he would, Arthur scurried away backwards, shaking his head.

“You’ve been doing so well, Arthur. Nimueh told me. Come along now, I want to see your progress. Your dragon can come too.” Morgause had to hand it to the man, Cendred knew how to act when he needed to. The other nurses milling around the room smiled at the calming tone to the man’s voice as he addressed the child, but Arthur continued to back away.

“Come on, Arthur. There is no need for this.” Morgause knew that she was the only one who saw Cendred move. He lunged for Arthur, who yelped and scrambled backwards. By the time anyone else looked over, Cendred had his hands raised soothingly.

“Arthur…”

“No! No, I won’t! You can’t make me, I won’t do it!”

“Arthur, that’s enough.” Arthur started to cry again, and Morgause had a feeling she knew what Cendred was doing. To everyone else it looked like he was making to comfort Arthur, but Morgause knew what Arthur would see. Cendred always kept needles in his pocket for emergencies, and Arthur had been on the receiving end of one enough times to know the man would use it. All Cendred needed was to reveal one slightly and it would be enough to scare the child.

As Arthur cried, Cendred bent down. The little boy didn’t have the strength to protest as he was picked up, despite his attempts to not lean his weight on the doctor. One of the nurses came over and ran her fingers through Arthur’s hair, murmuring something gently at him that caused him to nod tearfully. Cendred smiled in what appeared to be gratitude and Morgause knew the nurse had just told Arthur to be a good boy and go to his lessons. It didn’t matter though, they had got what they had come for. Cendred carried Arthur around the corner, the little boy hiding his face away as he did so.

But as soon as they were out of sight from the rest of the room, Cendred put Arthur back on the floor. Arthur glanced around in confusion, but then terror entered his eyes as he saw that Morgause was already there. He took a step forward, clearly wanting to get back to the other nurse, but Cendred moved too fast. In one movement, he grabbed Arthur, pinning the child back against his body and holding him there with his hand firmly over Arthur’s mouth. The boy had both hands pulling at Cendred’s, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference. Cendred’s free hand entered his pocket and he pulled out one of the very needles that Morgause had been thinking about.

Despite not being able to see it, Arthur seemed to sense what was about to happen and he struggled harder, tears running miserably down his face. His expression screwed up into one of pain as Cendred injected him in the upper arm. He didn’t dare let go of the boy for a long moment until Arthur stopped struggling and his whole body slumped. Cendred’s arm moved until he had hold of the unconscious boy around the chest and he looked up, smirking at Morgause.

“See, easy.” Morgause just glared back.

“How is he supposed to be screaming for Merlin if he is unconscious?”

“Details, woman, always worrying about the details.” Cendred didn’t seem concerned as he put the child over his shoulder and beginning to walk off. Morgause rolled her eyes but followed him. She was fully aware that if Cendred thought he could get away with double-crossing her, he would. The pair of them moved swiftly but made sure they didn’t draw any attention to themselves. Cendred led the way into one of the rooms designed to isolate a patient and despite herself, Morgause found herself shuddering.

If Arthur thought the decorating in his normal room was plain, it was nothing compared to in here. Cendred tipped the sleeping child onto the bed, staring down at his enemy’s son for a long moment.

“I still want control of him when you have the warlock’s magic.” He muttered darkly and Morgause glanced at him.

“That was our deal, don’t worry. You can still destroy Uther Pendragon by using his son against him, have no fear. But we have to get hold of Merlin first or it will all be for nothing and we’ll be dead before you can so much as blink once he realises what we have done to his precious king.”

Cendred nodded his agreement and stepped back from the bed. Morgause moved forward at the same time, navigating Arthur’s body around until he was lying straight. Knowing they had to somehow achieve the greatest result from this, she secured his wrists and ankles in padded cuffs attached to the bed. She was forced to use what limited magic she had in order to make them small enough for Arthur, but once she was done, the witch was satisfied the child was secured.

Unable to stop herself, Morgause brushed a lock of hair back from Arthur’s forehead, studying his sleeping face. He looked calm like this, every inch the king he had been born to be. There was no fear in his face, no attempt to shy away from them.

“He does look like his mother.”

“Careful, you almost sound fond of him there.” Morgause glared at Cendred, wishing she still had the power to just kill him and be done with it. Once she had Merlin, that was precisely what she was going to do. She had no intention of letting Cendred have Arthur once this was done, she was going to control the child and Cendred was going to die at her hand. But for now, she knew that she needed him.

“He is just a child.”

“So you are fond of him?”

“I care neither way. I want Merlin, Arthur is just the way to get us there.” Cendred nodded approvingly and began to lead the way from the room. Morgause followed behind him, dimming the lights but unable to resist stealing another glance at Arthur’s peaceful form. She wasn’t fond of him, but she didn’t hate him as much as she once had. After all, there was something endearing about the five year old Arthur Pendragon.

-x-

“There was a Doctor King at County General… no, wait, he died in a car accident, several witnesses being able to identify his body. This happened before Arthur was even born, it can’t be him.”

“How about…no, wait, he’s never set foot in the country.” Merlin let his head thud back on the sofa, smiling his gratitude as Gwen passed him a coffee. They had been at it for hours, the whole room disappearing under files they shouldn’t technically have as they tried to locate Cendred. It was the only lead they had, and Merlin knew it might not be enough. If they did find him, what then? He might not still know where Arthur was, and Merlin was fully aware that neither he nor Morgana had the magic required to scare a man such as Cendred into talking.

Everyone in the group had pulled out every contact they had in order to try and find something. It was the most solid lead they had ever had after finding out what prison Uther was in, and Merlin had been unable to stop a thrill racing through his body as he thought about how he would soon be reunited with his destiny. But as the hours had passed, he was beginning to realise that he had been a little presumptuous in thinking that just because they had a name didn’t mean they had solved all of their problems.

“I need a drink.” Gwaine moaned, shaking his head fondly at Gwen as she tried to give him another mug of coffee. “No offence, love, but I need a real drink. We’ve been at it for hours, I need a break. Anyone else care to join me for a round down at the Rising Sun?”

Elyan, Percival and Morgana all immediately agreed, Leon adding his voice as an afterthought once he knew what his fiancée was doing.

“You’ll come as well, won’t you, Gwen darling? We simply have to talk about what sort of cake you are having.” Gwen agreed at Morgana’s change of conversation and that automatically meant Lancelot too agreed to go.

“Merlin?”

“Hmm?”

“You coming for a drink, mate?” Merlin shook his head, not looking up from the file he was reading even though he could feel Gwaine’s eyes boring into him.

“You’ve been at it for hours, you need a break…”

“I’ll catch you up, how does that sound?”

“Merlin…”

“Gwaine, I’m not in the mood. Just you guys go on without me and have a drink for me. If I can get through this pile, I’ll come and join you. How does that sound?”

Gwaine sighed, but Merlin knew Gwen wouldn’t let him say anything else. Merlin was so close at snapping at them all, it would only take another few comments before his rarely seen temper exploded. He had been so sure they were getting closer to finding Arthur, and now they almost seemed back at square one.

Merlin made sure that he kept his eyes down as he heard the others leaving, knowing that should he look up, they would try and convince him to come with them. He knew that he had not been a good friend lately, especially to Gwaine. The pair of them had been best friends before their memories had returned, and now it was as if Merlin was dropping everything to find Arthur. He knew that Gwaine understood though, and the fact that Arthur was just an innocent child in all of his helped. Even Gwaine couldn’t leave a five year old out there on his own while his father was set up and imprisoned.

Finally the house fell quiet. The second Merlin heard the door shut, he threw down the file and leant forward. His elbows balanced on his knees as he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Allowing his eyes to fall shut, Merlin pressed his palms over his eyes, darkening the room and breathing deeply.

When the phone rang a few moments later, Merlin almost fell off the sofa in surprise. Initially, he was planning to ignore it, but realised that might not be the best idea. Still, it almost had rung off by the time that Merlin answered.

“Yes?”

“ _Merlin?”_ Immediately, Merlin found himself straightening up.

“Gaius? Have you found anything?” Merlin had found Gaius again after a few months of their memories returning. He barely even remembered calling the once physician when they got back from the prison, but now Gaius’ voice was in his ear, Merlin remembered. Considering Gaius’ past, Merlin had decided that if anyone could help them find where Cendred was, it would be him.

“ _Possibly, my boy. But you aren’t going to like it.”_

“I already don’t like it, Gaius, I can’t find him anywhere.”

_“Well, it’s not definite. But I just had a call from Elena. You remember her? Well, she’s a nurse at a psychiatric hospital at the moment, and she must have someone found out that we were looking for Arthur. She called me, there is a small, blond five year old by the name of Arthur there.”_

“What the hell is he doing there?” Merlin’s mind was racing. Could they have found him? But how… no one could just put a child in a place like that and expect to get away with it.

“ _He remembers, Merlin. Cendred and Morgause are there, and the boy gets himself into more and more trouble every time he mentions a memory. They’ve convinced people that he is mad, that he cannot live in the true reality and should be kept out of public for his own safety until he could distinguish the difference.”_

Merlin swore long and loud, not caring that Gaius could hear him. He should have known that Morgause would have been involved if Cendred was. Why hadn’t Uther said anything? Had he known? Or had he feared that Morgana would stop looking for Arthur if she found out that it was Morgause who was involved? He couldn't even imagine what had to be going through Arthur’s head. He would know without a doubt that what was going through his mind was the truth and yet he would have people constantly telling him that he was mad. If he was trapped there with Morgause and Cendred, there would be no telling what they would do to him!

“Where’s this hospital, Gaius?”

“ _Merlin, I’m really not sure… You don’t have your magic the way that you did, do you think you should be doing this?”_

“He’s five. Shut up in that place with Morgause telling him that he is mad. Are you really expecting me to leave him there any longer than I have to?”

Gaius sighed and Merlin knew that he had won. Half an hour later, he had all the details the old man thought he was going to need in order to try and get Arthur out. It didn’t help that because Arthur was experiencing his memories, even the staff not involved knew there was something different about him. Merlin was going to have to find a way to get him out legally so no one could take him away again. It was so frustrating knowing and being aware that it could still take all of this time before they could get their king back.

“I’m coming, Arthur, just hold on.”

Merlin rang Gwaine and told him what he had found out. The silence on the end of the phone made him wonder what had happened to his best friend, but even when he was still demanding an answer, the front door burst open and the rest of the group spilled back in, eyes wide with disbelief that Merlin had actually managed to locate Arthur. The warlock wasn’t even sure what they did for the rest of the day apart from throw out plans that got more and more ridiculous as they tried to think of ways of getting close to Arthur.

Merlin had been worried about telling Morgana who else was involved, but the woman had merely narrowed her eyes. Merlin knew in that one look she was firmly on their side this time and nothing was going to change that. He had overheard her muttering to Leon about how Morgause could possibly do that to a child, and while Arthur’s age was a disadvantage for most parts of any of their plans, Merlin knew that was what was keeping Morgana firmly on their side. He was just a little boy, she wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

But it was as they decided to get some sleep that Merlin knew they had to move fast. He stood up from the sofa only to be hit with a wave of dizziness. Before he knew what was happening, he could feel himself falling as a terrified scream rang through his head. Vaguely aware of Leon guiding him back down to the floor, Merlin knew what was going on.

Morgause now wanted him to find Arthur.

And this time, Merlin was going to give her what she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur knew that something was wrong as soon as he felt consciousness returning to him. He had been sedated before. Sometimes it just seemed to be because Cendred liked doing it, but that was not always the case. Some of the nice nurses had even been forced to do it when Arthur had truly acted up and refused to believe anything they told him, claiming that he was the king and they should all listen to him. He had a vague recollection of kicking someone the last time he had done that before the blackness had overtaken him. But no matter how he had been sedated in the past, he had always known that he was back in his room before he opened his eyes.

Not this time though.

Wherever he was seemed to be cold and Arthur shifted in order to try and rub his eyes. But the movement of his arm made his eyes fly open wide and a sob to escape him before he could stop it. How could he be in here, he hadn’t done anything wrong! Arthur had been put into isolation before as well when he had truly proved to be a danger to himself. The straps he had seen on the bed had scared him, but that had been when he had been allowed to walk around the room, the staff clearly believing that he couldn’t hurt himself on just the soft edges of the bed.

Never did Arthur think that he was going to end up in the straps. He tugged at his arm as hard as he could, but could feel the way the cuffs were locked firmly around his wrists. Kicking out, Arthur whimpered when he felt the same thing happening with his ankles. He was well and truly stuck. The child wriggled for a long moment, hoping that he would just be able to squirm free because of his size, but the cuffs had been made to fit. He couldn’t get out.

“Let me out!” Arthur shouted, twisting his head so that he could glare at the door. He had a feeling he knew who was behind this, memories of what had happened just before he had been sent under now infiltrating his groggy mind. Why had Cendred done this? Arthur knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong, despite not wanting the man to take him to his lessons. Elena had told him he had to be good, however, and so Arthur had calmed down. He always tried to do what Elena told him to, she was one of the nice nurses who cared about him. She didn’t scare him like Morgause, she didn’t give him the shivers in the way Nimueh did. Instead, she made him laugh and gave him biscuits whenever he did something well. She was a bit like Freya in that sense and Arthur just hoped she wouldn’t be made to go away as well.

“I didn’t do anything, let me out!” Arthur didn’t stop trying to get free of the bed, even though he was beginning to get a little breathless and his wrists ache from where he had been pulling. They wouldn’t hurt him, he could feel the soft lining in them, but there was only so much he could tug without feeling it in some way. His back arched as he tried to look around, and Arthur hated the fact he could feel the tears trickling down his face. He tried so hard to be brave, but the room was completely silent and the feeling of being trapped was one greater than he could understand. Somehow, he knew that was a fear from now rather than anything that had happened in the past, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

“Please! Morgause, I was good! You have to let me out!” Arthur knew that if Cendred was involved, Morgause would be to. Cendred he hated, there was no way that he was going to ask the man for anything. Even at five, Arthur was simply too stubborn. But although Morgause scared him, Arthur didn’t have the same hatred for her, and knew that he had more chance of being let out again if he spoke directly to her. He knew there were cameras in here, he knew they were watching him. It just made him struggle even harder.

“Let me out!” His tears picked up as no one answered him. Normally whenever he started yelling like this, someone came in to calm him down. At the back of a terrified mind, Arthur knew it was because no one else knew where he was. Morgause and Cendred had put him in here and they were never going to let him go again.

“Merlin…” His voice dropping to a whisper, Arthur fell still as he sniffed. Why wouldn’t Merlin come and get him out just the way he had always done in the past? Arthur had been good, he hadn’t done anything wrong to be in here, and he really didn’t like it.

“Merlin, please…” For a split second, Arthur thought he heard something. He craned his ears, listening hard. But the noise was revealed as the room was suddenly plunged into darkness as the lights were switched off and the soft humming stopped again. For a moment, Arthur simply froze, his eyes wide as he stared up towards the ceiling without actually being able to see it. He could feel that he was shaking in the cuffs and the tears were coming thick and fast now.

“Merlin!” It was no whisper this time, but a shout. Arthur stopped thinking about whether the warlock would be able to hear him and why he would come now when he hadn’t up until now. All that Arthur knew was that there was only one person who would be able to get him out of this. As the darkness pressed down on him, Arthur began properly screaming, thrashing in the restraints as he desperately tried to find a way out of it.

MMM

“Are you sure you can do this, Morgana?” Merlin would have flinched at the glare the woman shot him if he wasn’t too exhausted. Even her look softened when she saw him. He didn’t even have the strength to sit up properly any more, instead leaning against the car door, slumped against the window, and peering at her blearily. Merlin knew that he looked terrible, pale with huge bags under his eyes. If he was honest, he wasn’t feeling much better either.

“Is he still screaming?”

Merlin made to nod, but then realised that would have been a bad idea considering the pounding in his head. The whole night had been filled with the sounds of Arthur screaming his name, begging for Merlin to come and get him out, to save him from the dark. After the resulting migraine had led to him spending the first part of the morning throwing up, their little team knew that they couldn’t wait for a better plan. They had to try and get Arthur out now, before Merlin lost all capability. Merlin wasn’t even sure if it was Arthur’s literal screams he could hear, or whether the little boy was just so scared of what was happening around him he needed to reach out subconsciously. Either way, Merlin found movement hard as his head pounded at him.

“I’ll get him out, Merlin, I swear.”

“Just shut him up.” Merlin muttered, managing to crack a small smile. They weren’t sure whether Arthur would see Morgana as safety or not, not if he did truly remember everything. But they didn’t have much of a choice. Morgana was the only one who had the capability of getting in and getting close to Morgause without instantly being killed. They weren’t sure if Morgause would suspect her sister or not, but it would at least cause her to hesitate long enough to let Morgana through the door. Once Morgana was in, the rest of them would find a way in. If nothing else, Morgana could at least find out where Arthur was being held.

“I never could in the past.” Morgana smiled reassuringly at him before slipping from the car. She certainly looked the part, with her long hair tied up and the same sort of dark clothing she had favoured after meeting Morgause for the first time. But rather than the gowns, Morgana was in a pair of fitted jeans and a lose blouse. Even Merlin had to admit she looked stunning, and Leon clearly agreed as he pulled his fiancée close for a few moments. Merlin knew he should be taking note of everything that was being done or said right now in case it went wrong, but he was just too tired. He couldn’t help but note the irony, however. Arthur back then had caused him to have many sleepless nights through his whining. It seemed things hadn’t changed as much as they thought it had.

Eventually, Morgana and Leon separated, the once-knight slipping back into the car and starting the engine. They couldn’t be here when Morgana made her entrance, they couldn’t do anything that would risk losing any time inside and therefore compromising the whole mission. Morgana swung a long leg over the motorbike Gwaine held waiting for her before he too slipped into the car. Merlin knew that Leon flinched as she started up the engine and roared off, but it was necessary.

“She can handle herself.” Merlin murmured, trying to shift himself so that he could get some fresh air and not throw up all over Leon’s car. “Come on, we need to move into position.”

As Gwaine shut the door and caused the bang to echo through Merlin’s head and a moan to slip from his lips, Leon carefully pulled away. He still hesitated for a split second, watching the speck that was Morgana before sighing. Eventually, he drove carefully off in the opposite direction, and Merlin found himself wondering not for the first time how those two had ended up together. Gwaine leant over the front seat, twisting so that he could see his best mate sprawled across the back and wincing.

“Always knew the princess drove you mad.” He murmured gently, concern in his voice despite his words. Merlin managed a grin, but found that it turned more genuine as Gwaine handed him a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin. Merlin quickly downed the tablets before settling against the window again, allowing his eyes to fall shut as Leon drove them to their position. He was managing to block Arthur out a little more now and wondered if he would even be able to have a nap before they were forced into action. He wanted to be able to reassure the child that everything was fine, but could not. Instead, he just had to focus on making sure they would be able to get Arthur out.

The problem was, while the screams continued to echo through his head, Merlin knew that his magic was playing up. He really needed Morgana to calm Arthur down, to get him to be quiet for long enough for Merlin to retake control of himself and get the boy out. He knew it wouldn’t be easy though. Arthur didn’t lead a safe life as it was, and Merlin found he was worried about what could have happened to make him react this badly all of a sudden.

“Hey?” Peering blearily up at Gwaine, Merlin saw the look in his friend’s eye. He knew that no matter what Gwaine said, he truly did understand how Merlin was feeling and he was not about to make light of that. The fact that Arthur was just a child and trapped in a place he couldn’t escape from was certainly tugging on the once-knight’s heartstrings. Merlin knew that Gwaine had served time in this lifetime, he understood the feeling of entrapment.

“We’re going to get him back. Morgana can do this, you’ll see.”

As the car took them to their destination and Merlin shut his eyes again, he just found himself wishing beyond anything that was true.

MMM

“He’s coming.” Morgause tried to keep the excitement out of her voice as she burst into Cendred’s office. The man had his feet up on the desk but actually seemed to be working for once, flicking through a file as he glanced up at her arrival. A smirk spread over his face and Morgause found herself grateful, not for the first time, that they were on the same side. The doctor leant forward and flicked a switch on a monitor, showing them what was happening with Arthur. He had stopped screaming, but was still awake, twisting miserably in the restraints and constantly looking towards the door. Morgause was sure that he was calling for someone, but Cendred had muted the sound.

“Where?”

“I’m not sure. I can just feel magic drawing closer, it has to be him. It’s finally worked, I’ll finally be able to get my hands on his magic as I should have done all that time ago. I still can’t believe it, a mere serving boy a warlock.”

“And I’ll finally have my hands on the prize that I should have had lifetimes ago. Uther won’t be able to resist me when I have his brat squirming in my grip.” Morgause made sure that she was studying the screen as Cendred spoke, not wanting anything in her expression to give away she wasn’t going to let Cendred have Arthur any more than Merlin.

“He’s getting closer. I think he has made it to the building.” Cendred threw the file down to one side, swung his legs off the desk and picked up a gun. Morgause shuddered at the way it was left casually in the drawer, knowing that general members of staff came in here as well. It was too late to reprimand him now, not when everything they had dreamt of was about to come true. With Merlin’s magic combined with her own, she would have the power to strip Arthur of his memories –both past and present – and finally be able to have the son she wanted.

“Remember I need him alive to drain his magic.”

“And remember that you still need to get close enough and you have been keeping his destiny from him.” Cendred responded silkily, hiding the gun in his jacket pocket, checking his syringes and glancing at the monitor one last time. Satisfied Arthur was firmly secured, the pair of them made their way out of the office, following the feeling Morgause could feel spreading through her. She had never come across someone with magic in this life before, and she hadn’t been sure how it would feel. It felt good though, a light tingling running through her body and making her almost bounce in anticipation.

They were getting closer, she could feel it. Merlin was actually in the building now, the magic was stronger.

“Just around this corner.” Morgause whispered, having to force herself not to run. He was still powerful, and no doubt angry. She would have to take it slowly, she would have to…

“Sister?”

Morgause stopped, shock crashing through her at the young woman who had just appeared from a door to their left. The magic running through her veins settled in contentment and Morgause knew it had been Morgana she was sensing all along. Merlin was nowhere around.

“Morgana?” She found herself glancing at Cendred, watching as the man quickly put on an expression of welcome as he too stared at Morgana. Why had it never crossed Morgause’s mind that her sister would also remember who they were and possibly be trying to find her?

“Oh sister, I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been searching for so long.” Still stunned, Morgause couldn’t protest as Morgana suddenly hugged her. The younger woman pulled back after a moment and ran her eyes up and down Cendred.

“You couldn’t go and fetch us a drink, could you, Cendred? It’s hard getting into somewhere like this. You’ve put shields around it, haven’t you? I didn’t think I was going to be able to break through them to start with, you are just so strong.” Morgause waved her hand at Cendred, sending him away. She would make it up to him later, but Morgana’s gushing praise made her realise what she had missed all this time.

Arthur could have an aunt.

“I’m so glad to see you, sister.” Morgause meant it. She had never tried to fit Morgana into her plans, but now it all made perfect sense. She would take Merlin’s power and make Arthur her own. But raising him alone would have been hard, he still would be a headstrong and stubborn young boy even without knowing who he was. Now Morgana would be able to help her deal with that.

“You look like you have been busy, Morgause.” Morgana gestured to where they were and Morgause found herself smiling.

“I’m glad you’re here, Morgana. You are just in time as well. I have been busy, and I could use your help.”

“Of course, sister. You know that you do not need to ask. It will be just how it used to be.” Morgana linked her arm through Morgause’ and the older woman found that she was automatically heading towards where a little boy was still crying.

For the first time in both this life and all the rest, she found herself on the receiving end of just how devious Morgana could be. She had no idea that her sister was lying through her teeth, secretly hoping that Morgause would take her to Arthur. She had no idea that there was a small device in Morgana’s pocket recording everything that was being said, a group on the other end waiting for her signal.

Instead, Morgause just believed that everything was about to go her way and she wouldn’t have to do it alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Morgana found that it was taking every ounce of her courage to be able to go through with this. It was only because the people she had once hunted now accepted her back into their lives, had come to love her again that made her determined to keep going. There was still one person she had to make it up to for what she had done and she couldn’t apologise to Arthur if she didn’t know where he was. But her hand slipped into her pocket as Morgause guided her along, her finger resting lightly on the trigger. As soon as she had laid eyes on Arthur, she was to sound the alarm and the rest of the team would be coming in.

It was only her or Merlin who could have gone in. As a child, Arthur was not going to be so easily recognised as the rest of them had been when they had met up again. They needed someone with magic to confirm that the aura they were sensing did belong to the once and future king. Considering Morgause had tried to kill Merlin on more than one occasion, Morgana knew that she was the only one who could do this. It was her way of truly making it up to them for what had happened in their previous life. She might have taken Arthur’s life away the first time around, but she was going to be the one to give it back this time.

Still, as Morgause spoke about everything that had been happening, Morgana realised how she had been so easily fooled by her half-sister the first time around. Morgause’s tongue was like silver, she seemed to caress the words as they spilled from her lips, and Morgana almost found herself believing in the woman again. But then Leon swam before her mind’s eye and she forced herself to concentrate. He was the one who loved her, who would do anything for her. But considering she had felt alone the first time she had met Morgause, and had been afraid of who and what she was becoming, Morgana could see now how she had been so easily swayed. She just hated the fact that Morgause still seemed to have the power to fool her even now. She kept one finger on the trigger and rubbed the other across her engagement ring, reminding herself to be true.

“So where have you been, Morgana, dear? How has life been treating you this time around?” For a second, Morgana was thrown by the question, not actually having expected Morgause to be quiet for long enough to address anything her way. But then she smiled, knowing that it was a genuine one and therefore gave her sister no reason to suspect that she was lying in any way.

“It has been good. I’m getting married.”

“Really? He must be quite the man to tame your wild heart, sister.”

“He is.” Morgana couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she thought of Leon and how he had been her pillar of strength. They had met before the memories had returned and had begun to fall for each other. Overcoming the fact they had been enemies had just heightened their relationship and Morgana knew that she had done something this life time that she hadn’t before, regardless of how powerful she had been. She had fallen well and truly in love. She could sense the hostility coming from Morgause and the way her sister suddenly withdrew her arm, and Morgana knew that she didn’t like the idea that someone else had that place in Morgana’s heart this time.

“What about you and Cendred? I see you found each other again?” Determined to get the conversation back towards neutral ground, Morgana knew the second that she opened her mouth she hadn’t picked the best topic as Morgause bristled slightly.

“He is a means to an end, that is all.”

“And the end is..?” Morgause came to a stop in front of a heavy door, gesturing for Morgana to do the same. The younger woman did as she was bid, a frown spreading over her face as Morgause took out a swipe card.

“The end is what we should have had all that time ago.” She ran the card through the door and Morgana found herself shivering as the door beeped before swinging open. Lights flickered on at Morgause’s arrival, and Morgana didn’t even want to consider whoever was in here had been in darkness before. She followed Morgause through the door, finger tightening over the trigger as she did so.

“Him.”

Following Morgause’s gaze to the only piece of furniture in the room, Morgana couldn’t hold back her gasp. She only hoped that Morgause didn’t realise it was one of pure shock and horror as she took in the sight of the small child strapped down on it. His head was lolling to one side and Morgana hoped that his eyes were only shut because he was asleep. Dried tear tracks stained his cheeks and his hands were balled into tight fists from where he had obviously been struggling to get out.

“Is that..?”

“Arthur Pendragon. He is at our mercy for once, just as it should have been all that time ago.”

Arthur let out a soft moan at their voices, his eyes screwing up as his head moved to one side. Morgana found that she was holding her breath as he slowly woke up, opening his eyes and blearily peering at them. For a second, he clearly didn’t know who he was looking at. His gaze focused on Morgause first of all. Morgana knew she had become twisted and lost sight of herself in the previous life, but nothing prepared her for how much it hurt to have Arthur almost seemed to shrink in on himself when he saw Morgause. It was clear that she had been a source of his nightmares for some time considering the look in his eye.

But then Arthur’s gaze shifted onto her. For a split second, he seemed to forget how to breathe, just staring at her with wide eyes. But then he went to the other extreme, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to draw a breath, fighting against the restraints with what little strength he had as he squirmed on the bed.

“He remembers you.” Morgause had satisfaction in her voice as she began to approach the bed. Arthur struggled harder, tears slipping from his eyes as he frantically shook his head. He seemed to know that there was no way out, but just as he had been before, Arthur was never one to admit defeat. Morgana let Morgause walk in front, using that time in order to press down on the trigger and summon the rest of the group without the other woman seeing. It was about time she informed their friends that their king had once again been found.

“No…no, please…” Arthur whined as Morgause approached. His eyes glanced at Morgana again, but it was almost like he couldn’t stop himself. He was seeking help from anyone that he could, and it was as if he knew that she had once tried to keep him safe before fate had driven them apart. She could tell the exact second he recalled the later memories of her trying to kill him, for his eyes snapped back to Morgause and he flinched away again.

“Be still, Arthur, you’ll hurt yourself…”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” The child whispered, and Morgana found her eyes widening. She could tell by the way that Arthur had said that he knew this room was some sort of punishment for him. But for him to know that, it meant he must have been in here before. Suddenly, Morgana knew that she could wait no longer. There was no telling how long Cendred would stay away. She had seen the look in his eyes when he had been dismissed, she knew that the man didn’t trust her. And there was no way that she trusted him either. She couldn’t take them both, her magic wasn’t strong enough. She had to get Arthur out of here before Cendred turned up.

Letting her hand rise, Morgana tried to smile softly at Arthur, tried to tell him without words that she was here to help and that everything was going to be okay. But he simply watched her in fright, his mouth falling open as Morgana’s eyes softly began to glow. Morgana took a step forward, knowing the closer she was to Morgause, the less power she would need to use. She didn’t have much as it was, she needed to make this count.

Arthur, however, seemed to just realise that it meant she was coming towards him while he was helpless, preparing to do magic. Morgana couldn’t blame him, knowing that if their positions were reversed she would have reacted in exactly the same way. But as Arthur let out a shrill scream, Morgause turned.

She seemed to realise that Arthur’s eyes hadn’t been fixed on her when they had grown wide with fright. The second that Morgana released the magic, Morgause’s own arm swung up. She knocked it into Morgana’s wrist, directing her hand away from her and forcing her magic to go askew. Rather than hitting Morgause, it instead crashed into the end of the bed, breaking the straps around Arthur’s legs. He immediately kicked up, trying to arch against the restraints still in place but simply falling back with a whimper.

“What are you doing, sister?”

“What I should have done the first time around.” Morgana muttered. Her opposite hand came out of her pocket, clenching into a fist as she simply punched Morgause as hard as she could. The woman fell, stunned. Hitting the bed with a clang, Morgause then crashed down onto the floor. Knowing that she wouldn’t be stopped for long, Morgana swiftly moved forward. Arthur had stopped screaming, but instead was just watching her with wide eyes, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. As Morgana reached for the straps holding his wrists down, however, he still flinched back.

“Arthur, it’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise. I’m here to help. I know where the rest of our friends are, I can take you to them. I can take you to Leon, and Merlin.”

“M-Merlin?” Morgana smiled gently, nodding as she fought to free the five year old. His eyes had grown impossibly large at the mention of his destiny, and Morgana could see the hope shining within. It came as no surprise that Arthur remembered precisely who the man was, nor was it any shock that seemed to be the one thing that calmed him down.

“What about the others, are they all there too?” In a way only a child could, Arthur forgot his previous fear as Morgana freed him, eyes beginning to shine with excitement as he thought about their past lives.

“Yes, Arthur, they are all there.” Growing frustrated with the fact that she couldn’t get the strap undone and Morgause seemed to be stirring again, Morgana let another blast of magic shoot from her. It might have been weak in comparison to what she used to be able to do, but it was enough to snap the leather straps. Hooking her arms under Arthur’s shoulders, Morgana lifted him off from the bed. His legs almost buckled as she put him down and the woman wondered how long he had been in here for. He had fallen quiet now, keeping behind her legs and clutching onto her top as he stared at Morgause.

“You’re right, I am here for what I should have had.” Morgana informed Morgause, slipping Arthur’s hand into hers. “But you have no claim to him.”

She wasn’t sure whether Arthur was in shock or trusting her as she led him from the room. She hoped it was the latter, but had a feeling it was the former. He clung onto her hand, but didn’t come out from behind her as they walked from the room.

“You won’t be able to do this, Morgana. Your fate is against him, not with him. You belong by my side.”

“But he doesn’t belong by your side. I don’t care what happens to me, Morgause. Not this time. This time I’m making sure that destiny goes the way it should.” Morgana let go of Arthur’s hand and moved back across the room. Morgause tried to cling to her arm as Morgana bent down next to her, but the younger simply shrugged her off as she took Morgause’s card. Arthur hadn’t moved an inch as she yet again took his hand and led him out of the room that had been serving as his prison. The red light flickered into life again and Morgana knew that Morgause wouldn’t be finding it easy to get out on her own. If even Merlin’s magic was limited in this life time, Morgause’s wouldn’t be any stronger than Morgana’s was.

“Where’s Merlin?” Arthur whispered, tugging on her hand and looking around as if he had never seen the corridors before. Morgana also found that she was glancing around and swallowed hard as she tried to remember the way out.

“Waiting for us. Come on, Arthur.” Leading him in what she hoped was the right direction, Morgana started moving. She knew the others would be on their way and Merlin would be able to find them no matter where they ended up in this maze. She just hoped that Arthur couldn’t sense how nervous she was. Judging by the way he simply held her hand tightly, she had a feeling he wasn’t doing much better.

“This way.” Arthur suddenly stopped, tugging at her hand and pulling her down another corridor. Morgana was sure that she hadn’t arrived down that way, but knew to trust Arthur. He had always had good instincts before, and he knew this place better than her. Maybe he did know the way out?

Neither of them spoke again as they hurried along, and Morgana found that she had pressed the trigger again. She knew that it had worked the first time, but maybe they would get the message to hurry up if she kept signalling them. No sooner had she realised the pressure when there came an almighty bang from further down the next corridor. Arthur jumped, squeaking slightly as he pressed himself closer to her legs.

“It’s okay, it’s just them. Gwaine always favoured a more explosive entrance, he is probably just showing off.”

“Gwaine?”

“That’s right, Arthur, they are all here.”

“Merlin!” Arthur’s hand tore from Morgana’s before she realised that he wasn’t asking about the warlock. She looked down the corridor as Arthur set off at a run, smiling in relief when she saw the warlock had indeed appeared at the other end. The tension seemed to visibly leave Merlin as he witnessed Arthur running towards him and he smiled himself, finally looking his age again rather than if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. His smile, however, quickly morphed into a look of horror as a side door opened.

Arthur didn’t see Cendred coming out of the office. He barely even knew that the office was by there. Instead, he was unaware as a hand reached towards him, his scream of surprise being cut off as the back of his collar was snagged and his breathing momentarily restricted.

“Let him go, Cendred.” Despite knowing they were on the same side now, Morgana still shivered at the anger in Merlin’s voice. She had been a fool to cross his destiny before, and it seemed as if Cendred was just about to learn that for himself. Cendred’s grip moved until he had his arm looped across the base of Arthur’s neck. He wasn’t applying pressure, but as Morgana moved around, she could see Arthur had both hands pushing against the grip. It was an iron hold, and there was no way that a five year old would be able to wriggle free of it.

“I’m not telling you again.”

“I think you might have got this the wrong way around, boy. You’re the servant, remember? You do as I say, especially now I have your precious king in my grip.” Arthur squirmed with a soft cry, clearly trying to get himself away. Cendred let out a snarl and restricted his grip.

“And you’re the one who ended up dead.” Merlin said softly. His tone was neutral, and somehow that was more of a threat than when he sounded angry.

“Merlin…” It was a soft whisper that escaped Arthur, a small plea for help. Merlin smiled.

“It’s okay, Arthur. You’re going to be just fine.”

Morgana knew they couldn’t wait any longer. While Merlin kept Cendred talking, she silently unhooked the fire extinguisher from the wall and crept closer to the man.

“Arthur, run!” Merlin saw what she was doing and called to their young king to move forward even as Morgana swung. It collided heavily with the top of Cendred’s back and the man fell heavily. Luckily, Arthur managed to dart free even as Cendred fell. This time, he didn’t even look back as Morgana stepped calmly over the unconscious form, but ran full pelt at Merlin.

Just in time, the warlock opened his arms and crouched down in order to find himself with an armful of five year old sobbing into his neck.

“You came, you really came…”

“I always will, Arthur,” Merlin murmured softly, but then seemed to realise that Arthur had no intention of letting go. His hands slipped around the boy’s legs as he straightened up, Arthur in his arms. Arthur’s own arms curled around Merlin’s neck and he wouldn’t look up from his new hiding place. Merlin caught Morgana’s eye and sighed, even though there was relief in his eyes.

“Let’s get out of here.”


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the team had thankfully been able to keep the route out of the compound clear. Morgana hurried along, but made sure she didn’t stray too far from Merlin’s side. With his hands full of Arthur, he wouldn’t be able to react quickly enough if Morgause or Cendred came after them. Her own power might be seriously restricted, but she could give them a chance. Leon had immediately taken Merlin’s other side, once more determined to protect his king.

They had all stared at Arthur with wide eyes as they had stumbled from the building. They had known that he was a child, but nothing quite prepared them for the little boy dressed completely in white hiding away in Merlin’s neck. Arthur seemed to sense the gazes for he briefly looked up before hiding away again. Merlin’s hand was rubbing up and down his back soothingly and Morgana knew he was using magic in order to allow him to take Arthur’s weight with just one hand.

“Meet back at the flat. Gwaine, Lancelot, double back, make sure that we aren’t being followed.”

Morgana held open the car door as Merlin gave his orders, allowing the warlock to slip in. She shut it softly behind them but found a hand gripping her wrist.

“Be careful,” Leon murmured softly. Morgana pressed a kiss against his lips before darting away, kicking her bike into life and roaring away from the compound. Leon slipped into the driver’s seat and started the car, determined to get them away once and for all. A glance in the rear view mirror made him smile gently.

Arthur was still refusing to let go of Merlin, giving the warlock no choice but to keep him on his lap, somehow stretching the seatbelt over the pair of them. He caught Leon’s eyes and flushed slightly. It didn’t matter that he had magic, he was never going to risk Arthur’s safety for anything. But his eyes were haunted and heavy even as he continued to comfort the little boy. Leon thought he knew what Merlin was thinking. They had spent every day since their memories had returned searching for Arthur. Even when they had found out about the compound and the fact he seemed to be with Morgause and Cendred had no prepared them for how they would find their king.

He was spot on. Merlin wasn’t even sure what was going through his head as he held Arthur to him. The boy’s tears had slowly come to a stop and his breathing was beginning to even out. Merlin kept his hand moving soothingly over his back, determined he was going to keep Arthur calm. Feeling something pushing against his stomach, Merlin glanced down to see Arthur’s hand rising. He didn’t even have time to question what he was doing before Arthur’s thumb found his mouth and he sighed, settling into Merlin again and letting his eyes drift shut.

Merlin found a fond smile making its way onto his face, shifting his hand from Arthur’s back to his hair as Arthur drifted off to sleep. Even as a man, there had always been something so innocent about Arthur as he slept, and Merlin didn’t need to take more than a glance at him to know that hadn’t changed. But he also found that he couldn’t stop looking. He almost was afraid to blink in case Arthur should vanish and they were back to where they had started with no idea where their king was.

Despite knowing what the others would say, Merlin found that he was kicking himself for not finding Arthur sooner. The look in his eye as Cendred had grabbed him was not going to leave his mind any time soon. He knew that terror wasn’t just from being held then, it was a recurring thing. While he had been basically enjoying life, his destiny had been locked away and terrified. Merlin didn’t realise he had tightened his grip until Arthur let out a soft whimper in his sleep, a frown appearing on his forehead. Merlin instantly loosened his hold and went back to stroking his hair, trying to lull Arthur into a deeper sleep.

“He’ll be okay, you know.” Leon’s soft voice made him jump and Merlin couldn’t hide the guilt in his eyes as he looked at the man.

“Will he? Who knows what they did to him in there.”

“True. But don’t forget that I knew Arthur as a child back in our time as well. He was always strong. And now that he has you, I’m sure he will be feeling like he can take the world on and win the second he wakes up from that nap. Trust me, Merlin, he’s going to be just fine.”

Merlin forced himself to nod. He knew that Leon had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the once-servant since Arthur wasn’t around to do it this time. It meant Merlin knew unless he agreed, Leon would keep going on until Merlin had no choice but to believe him. Right now, studying the tear tracks on Arthur’s face and the bruising around his wrists, Merlin knew he had no right to banish the guilt. There was only one person who would be able to make him feel better about any of this, and that was the child asleep on his lap.

The car barely made a sound as it moved smoothly and Merlin found that he was gradually dozing off himself. So much time had been spent planning this rescue that he wasn’t sure the last time he had gotten a proper night’s sleep. There had been nothing over the communications about trouble from either Lancelot or Gwaine and Merlin was satisfied they had stopped Morgause and Cendred for long enough to get Arthur to safety.

Without meaning to, Merlin found himself drifting off.

All too soon, however, a hand was shaking him awake. Merlin jolted, his heart racing until he realised it was Leon leaning over him and the car had stopped. Unable to stop himself, Merlin found that he was automatically checking on Arthur, despite the fact he had already known the child was still asleep by his even breathing.

“We’re home,” Leon murmured softly, his eyes softening as he also looked at Arthur. Merlin’s movement caused him to stir and the little boy yawned, rubbing a fist in his eye without opening his eyes. He sighed and attempted to snuggle back down. Merlin glanced at Leon out of the corner of his eye and knew the smile reflected on Leon’s face was exactly the same one on his own. Arthur had never liked waking up.

“Arthur. Arthur, I know you’re awake, it’s time to open your eyes now.”

Arthur stubbornly shook his head, yawning again. Merlin undid the seatbelt and slithered out from under the boy. The whine that accompanied his action made Merlin chuckle and he found that he was once again combing his fingers through Arthur’s blond hair.

“Come on, you.” Merlin murmured, reaching in and gently taking Arthur’s arm. Very slowly, he began to tug the child towards him. Arthur resisted at first and Merlin had a second of wondering what to do. He didn’t want to be any firmer with the boy because of the bruises already on Arthur’s arms. Love was something he clearly hadn’t received a lot of recently and Merlin didn’t want to scare him. But thankfully, Arthur simply let out another whine and slithered forward, finally beginning to open his eyes. When his feet touched the floor, Arthur obediently rocked into a standing position. The breeze blowing fresh on his face helped to revive him a little and he finally blinked, yawning again.

It took a few seconds for Arthur to realise that he was outside. Merlin could see the instant the child realised he wasn’t sure where he was. Arthur’s whole body stiffened and he began chewing on the edge of his sleeve. Merlin reached out a hand and gently tugged the material away, making a mental note for them to get Arthur some clothes as soon as they could. It had never crossed his mind that Arthur would only have hospital attire.

“It’s okay, Arthur. This is where I live. Where you can live as well if you want to?” Merlin didn’t think it was possible for Arthur’s eyes to go any wider, but he stayed quiet. The warlock could almost sense the nerves flooding from him and knew standing out here was doing nothing to reassure him.

“Come on.” Gently, he uncurled Arthur’s fingers and slotted the boy’s hand into his own, beginning to lead Arthur towards the flat. Leon had already disappeared into the building and Merlin knew why. It was no doubt to give the other’s the heads up about how Arthur was reacting to everything. It would all be for nothing if they tried to crowd him. Arthur let Merlin lead him, but the warlock could feel the way he was slowly drifting behind Merlin’s legs, attempting to hide.

Up until now, Merlin had managed to convince himself that the child was simply the Arthur he had known but in child form. But this changed things. His Arthur would never hide away from his fears. Merlin realised he was being foolish. Arthur was just a boy, and there would be no telling what Morgause had done or said to him while they had him. It was only right for him to be nervous about where he now was, despite it being obvious that he trusted Merlin. Just as he reached the door, Merlin stopped, turned and crouched down, still holding Arthur’s hand.

“All of your friends are in here, Arthur. They all came with me to help get you out of there. Well, apart from Gwen, but she’s been baking cookies instead. Do you like cookies, Arthur?”

Arthur’s free hand had risen to his mouth this time and he continued chewing on his sleeve. He gave a tentative nod at Merlin’s question though and the warlock smiled reassuringly.

“Good, as otherwise I would have to eat them all myself and they’ll all moan that I’m getting fat.” Arthur let out a little giggle at Merlin’s words as the man straightened up. Despite his calm attitude, Merlin was just as nervous about doing this as Arthur was. Technically, this was their king. He had no idea how the others would react.

There almost seemed to be a hush in the flat as he stepped through. Leon was waiting by the door, but Arthur just glanced shyly up at him. The tall man grinned and ruffled Arthur’s hair, but didn’t say anything as Merlin continued to lead Arthur through. He shot his own smile of gratitude at the knight when he heard Leon shutting and locking the door behind them. They didn’t want to scare Arthur by making it too obvious, but they also couldn’t take any chances.

As they walked down the small hallway, Merlin could hear the soft murmur of voices coming from in front of them. He took a deep breath as he pushed open the lounge door and silence instantly fell. Only Gwen, Lancelot and Gwaine were in the room. Voices could be heard from the kitchen and Merlin nodded his head in thanks at Gwen. He knew that it must have been her idea not to crowd Arthur. These were the people who Arthur had been closest to at the end, they were the ones who were going to make him feel more at ease.

“Hello, Arthur,” Gwen said, moving forward and smiling at him. Arthur disappeared behind Merlin’s legs again, but the fact the grip on the warlock’s hand didn’t change meant Merlin just knew he was being shy rather than scared. The thought of Arthur being shy nearly made him laugh.

“I’ve been telling him all about your cookies, Gwen.” Merlin was desperate to get Arthur to feel at ease. He knew that after Morgause, it was going to be a while before he truly trusted anyone, but the first step was getting him to relax.

“Really? Well, Lance says that they are the best he has tasted, but he is biased because I’m going to marry him.” Merlin flinched as Gwen closed her eyes. They had no idea how Arthur would feel about that. To Merlin’s delight, the child took a step out from behind his legs.

“And so I don’t trust his word. Can you sample them for me?” Gwen’s sentence ended a little lamely, but Arthur tentatively nodded again, his sleeve back in his mouth. Merlin was beginning to realise this was his way of comforting himself. They would let him do it for now, but he knew the sooner they could break the habit, the better for Arthur. Gwen looked relieved at Arthur’s answer, knowing by the look on the child’s face that he didn’t mind about her and Lancelot. It would have made things awkward indeed, especially as Arthur was still just a boy. If he remembered his past feelings for her, he certainly didn’t feel them now.

“Brilliant. I’ll, um…just go and get them then, shall I?” Merlin had a feeling this was Gwen’s way of bringing someone else back into the room without making it too obvious for Arthur that the whole thing was being staged. Arthur gave her a small smile and Gwen disappeared. As soon as she had done so, Lancelot stepped forward.

“Hi, Arthur,” he said quietly, stretching out his hand. Merlin watched Arthur closely. He seemed to realise he had to either let go of Merlin’s hand, stop chewing his sleeve or ignore Lancelot’s outstretched hand. To Merlin’s delight, he lowered his sleeve and put his hand in Lance’s. It felt like a blow to the gut witnessing just how small Arthur’s hand looked compared to Lancelot’s, but the man shook it solemnly and managed to get another smile from Arthur.

“I better make sure she is getting those cookies.” Lancelot declared, backing away and also disappearing into the kitchen. Arthur frowned and Merlin knew their pretence wasn’t being lost on him. Before Merlin could say anything, Arthur tugged his hand anxiously. As Gwaine moved towards them, Merlin realised what Arthur needed.

“Gwaine?”

“What? No! No, I was just going to say hello…”

“Gwaine!” Merlin didn’t realise he could hiss like that but his best friend stopped, blinking at him. He gave a drawn out sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Come on then, trouble.” He held out his hand to Arthur and Merlin was hard pushed not to instantly find his camera at the sight. Arthur looked up at Merlin nervously. The warlock smiled and bent down in front of him.

“You remember Gwaine, Arthur? He’s going to get you sorted out, is that okay? I need to talk to some of the others. You’ll be okay with Gwaine, won’t you?”

The sleeve was back in Arthur’s mouth but he slowly let go of Merlin’s hand. He almost lunged at Gwaine’s hand, as if he was scared of what would happen if he wasn’t holding on, but neither adult said anything about it. Gwaine began leading Arthur down a second hallway towards the bathroom.  The second he left the lounge, the kitchen door burst open. Once again, Merlin found that he was hard pushed not to laugh. He and Gwaine weren’t exactly known for their cooking skills so hadn’t bothered with a big kitchen. Considering all of their friends had managed to somehow cram themselves in, Merlin found it was the best sight he could have asked for.

“Where is he? What has he said? How is he?”

“Morgana, shh.” Gwen scolded lightly, ducking under Lancelot’s arm and moving out into the lounge. Everyone swiftly followed, but Merlin had a feeling that was because of the plate of cookies in her hand.

“Hands off, they are for Arthur.” She almost snapped, slapping Elyan’s hand away and making her brother blink in confusion. Gwen glanced around, but realised there was no blond figure in the room.

“Where is he?”

“Bathroom. I’m hoping Gwaine will change him into something else. Seeing him in those clothes, it’s just…it’s all wrong.” Merlin murmured, sinking down into the sofa. A hand squeezed the back of his neck reassuringly, but Merlin started in surprise when he realised that it was Morgana. He had assumed Gwen would have been the one to comfort him like normal.

“We got him out.” She whispered, and Merlin was sure he wasn’t the only one to hear the crack in her voice.

“Morgs?” Gwen moved closer, her hand resting lightly on her friend’s arm. “What is it?”

“I…I went to take down Morgause,” Morgana muttered, suddenly looking tired. “He saw me approaching them and screamed. There was such terror in his voice. Not of Morgause, but of me. They had him strapped down in this padded cell like he was insane, and yet it was because of me he screamed.”

“He just needs to get used to the idea you are on our side now.” Merlin said firmly, trying to banish the doubt from her mind. He knew how good Morgana would be for Arthur if he could accept her. “But I think we might have a problem.”

A giggle sounding down the hallway made everyone’s heads turn that way. Gwaine reappeared with Arthur still clinging onto his hand. But instead of being dressed in the hospital clothes, he was wearing one of Gwaine’s shirts. It came down past his knees and the sleeves were rolled up several times but Merlin found that it eased the tight feeling in his gut. It was as if the first step had been taken. Leon and Lancelot took Percival forward to be properly introduced, but Gwen moved closer to Merlin.

“What do you mean, we might have a problem?”

“He hasn’t said a word since we left the hospital.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“I don’t understand, he spoke in the hospital.”

“I know.” Merlin ran his hand over his eyes and forced himself to put the phone down from where he was gripping it tightly. His magic was sparking angrily over the clear distress Arthur must have been going through if he was now refusing to say a word. “He spoke to me too, but Gaius…”

The warlock trailed off, leaning against the wall as he stared into the room. Gwen had Arthur curled up on her lap and judging by the look on both of their faces, Merlin had a feeling she was telling him a story. They had spent the best part of a few hours trying to get Arthur to talk by engaging him in conversations, quizzing him about what he liked… It might have continued further if Merlin hadn’t noticed the way that Arthur – having slowly been growing in confidence with the people surrounding him – had begun to shrink back into the warlock. Merlin knew they were pushing him too hard just to try and hear him say something and so had instantly turned the conversation away. Leon, Gwen and Morgana had picked up what he was doing and joined in, leaving the others with no choice but to follow their lead.

Arthur had relaxed again and even tentatively nibbled on one of the cookies Gwen had handed him, a shy smile of thanks on his face. When Merlin realised that was all that they had managed to get Arthur to eat – again despite their best efforts – he had persuaded Arthur to stay with Gwen, fled to the hallway and phoned Gaius. The man had promised to come over first thing in the morning but had tried to reassure Merlin that this wasn’t unheard of for Arthur to not want to talk.

“What? What did Gaius say, Merlin?” Morgana’s sharp voice forced Merlin back from his musings over the afternoon into the conversation he was having now. He sighed, finally putting the phone down and letting his arms fold across his chest to stop him from fiddling with something.

“He said there could be a couple of reasons why Arthur isn’t talking but that it is nothing to worry about.”

“So? What are the reasons?” Merlin knew it was only Morgana’s desire to make amends in this life time that kept her pushing. She might not be a blood relation to Arthur this time around, but it was clear she was prepared to look out for him in the same way she had when Merlin had originally met her the first time.

“He either thinks that it is some sort of dream that we have actually got him out and is afraid that talking will shatter the illusion or…” Merlin felt his voice trail off again, a deep frown on his face as tears threatened to prick at the corners of his eyes. Gwen was stroking Arthur’s hair gently as she spoke in a soft voice to him, and Merlin could tell by the way the child’s eyes were drooping that it wouldn’t be long before he fell asleep.

“Or?” Leon placed a hand on his fiancée’s arm, clearly seeing the distress in Merlin’s face and warning her to back off a little. But Merlin knew she would probably understand the second reason more than anyone else, she had been the one to see how Arthur was being treated inside.

“Or he is afraid of saying the wrong thing. You said he was strapped down in a padded cell, Morgana? That he had said that he hadn’t done anything wrong? Gaius thinks that maybe they had used something like that as a punishment for him before. Possibly even because he had said the wrong thing. Gaius thinks he might be afraid of talking because he is scared that he will say something to anger one of us and we’ll punish him.”

Morgana had no comeback this time, her hands flying to her mouth as tears sparkled in her own eyes. Merlin glanced at her before returning his attention to Arthur. He looked relaxed enough now, but the idea that he was afraid of what they would do to him made him feel sick. He didn’t think he had ever felt his magic tug on his desire for revenge as strongly as it was right now. Not even at the end of everything in the lifetime before had he wanted to blast someone off the face of the earth as badly as he did right now.

“I’ll kill her.” Morgana swore, pushing against Leon as he attempted to hold her.

“I’ll kill them both.” Merlin muttered darkly, part of his mind even beginning to plan how he was going to go back there and make Morgause and Cendred pay for what they had done to his destiny.

“Neither of you are going to kill anyone,” Leon said quietly, finally forcing Morgana to melt into his embrace and holding her tightly. He started stroking her hair in the same manner that Gwen was stroking Arthur’s, but his gaze was fixed on Merlin. He wasn’t just addressing his words at his future wife.

“If you go back there and hurt them, then Arthur’s fears will be coming true and he’ll know that he does have a reason to be afraid of you.”

“He’ll know that we’re looking out for him…”

“Will he? Merlin, Morgana told me what Uther said, about how they drugged Arthur. Do you think that they told him when he woke up that they were going to hold him there as bait for you so they could take your magic? Or do you think they told him that they were keeping him safe? Arthur will know if you go back there, and the last thing you can do to him is lie about anything right now. Either of you. If he remembers, he remembers the lies and the fact he ran to you meant he had forgiven them, even if it is just a subconscious thing. You have to be truthful to him and you have to show him no sign of what you want to do to them.”

Merlin stared at Leon, who suddenly blushed and studied his feet. The ex-knight seemed almost self-conscious of what he had just said, almost as if he felt like he had overstepped the mark. Merlin smiled – a genuine smile as well – and let his hand rest on the man’s arm.

“I forgot. You care for him as much as we do. Forgive me?”

The look on Leon’s face told Merlin he had received the forgiveness and he moved away, letting the two lovers comfort each other. Sighing, he moved through to the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of water, resting it against his forehead and shutting his eyes, trying to alleviate the headache he could feel throbbing at his temples.

“I think she is getting broody.” Lancelot’s soft voice made Merlin start and he lowered the glass, turning as he did so. The man was standing leaning against the kitchen door, watching Gwen with a fond smile on his face. Merlin moved across to his friend, a smile of his own as he watched them. But the smile slipped and a frown began taking its place the longer he watched. Arthur was clearly fighting to keep his eyes open, but his hand was pushing at whoevers jumper it was that had been placed over his legs. Gwen was talking softly to him, but it was obvious Arthur wasn’t listening this time. He shook his head, sniffing at the same time. Gwen made to brush a piece of hair out of his eyes and her hand paused mid-action. To Merlin’s growing discomfort, she rested her hand against Arthur’s forehead, a frown immediately gracing her face as she glanced towards Merlin.

Merlin was moving almost before eye contact had been made. He left his glass in the kitchen and swiftly moved across the room, crouching down in front of them. Now that he was closer, he could see how flushed Arthur was.

“He’s warm,” Gwen murmured softly, keeping her voice gentle as tears began to slide silently down Arthurs’s face. Merlin felt the child’s forehead for himself and winced at realising Arthur was indeed running a temperature. Arthur ignored them, finally managing to push the jumper of his legs and onto the floor.

“I’m not sure what I’ve got that is suitable for a five year old.” Merlin admitted, realising quite how much of a rushed job this had been to get Arthur out. They had nothing for him here. Percival overheard them and came forward.

“It’s only mid-afternoon, I’ll run down the road to the pharmacy. Is it just a temperature?”

“Arthur?” Merlin turned his attention onto the boy, but Arthur shook his head miserably. Judging by the way he immediately screwed up his eyes, Merlin knew it was at least a headache as well. Percival saw and clearly decided he had enough information to go by and moved for the door, snagging Gwaine’s arm and dragging him along as well. At the last moment, Elyan joined in but Merlin knew why. It was him, Gwen and Leon – Morgana as well depending on how strong Arthur’s memories were – who had always been closest to the king. They were the ones Arthur needed now.

“Arthur?” Merlin wasn’t even sure what he was going to say in order to reassure the little boy. His head was leaning against Gwen’s shoulder and his thumb was in his mouth, a look of utter misery on his face. It almost broke Merlin’s heart, yet at the same time, he felt himself smile. Despite everything that Arthur had been through, he still had the normal little boy’s reaction when he was feeling ill. Merlin knew his mother could vouch for the fact Merlin used to react exactly the same way when he had been ill. Arthur simply looked at him, almost as if he expected Merlin to be able to make everything better.

“I wish I could, buddy,” Merlin murmured, resting his hand on Arthur’s arm and letting his thumb rub small circles. When Arthur suddenly flinched, Merlin felt his stomach coil again. Shooting a look to Gwen to keep Arthur relaxed, Merlin gently rolled up the sleeve of Gwaine’s shirt even further. He knew by Gwen’s intake of breath that he wasn’t the only one seeing the bruises on Arthur’s wrists. Merlin knew they had kept him strapped down in the cell, but for a padded cuff to cause this much damage… He shut his eyes briefly, recalling how Arthur had spent the entire night screaming. Just how hard had he been struggling?

“I’m so sorry, I should have got there sooner…”  Merlin felt a tear of his own down his face, knowing that his own expression must almost mirror Arthur’s. A hand on his shoulder gently pushed him to one side and Lancelot crouched down in his face.

“You not feeling too good, little man?” He murmured gently and Arthur shook his head.

“Aww, that sucks. You want to go to sleep?” Merlin knew that Gwen was gaping at Lancelot just as much as he was as Lancelot held out his hands. Arthur moved away from Gwen’s shoulder, taking his thumb out of his mouth and placing both hands on Lancelot’s shoulders. Lance immediately straightened up, Arthur on his hip as he glanced at Merlin. For a moment, Merlin was only watching the way Arthur’s head instantly rested against Lancleot’s shoulder and his eyes flickered, but then he realised what Lance was silently asking him.

“Oh, my room is fine.” Both he and Gwen watched as Lancelot carried Arthur down the hallway.

“And he says that I’m the broody one.” Gwen eventually mumbled, and despite everything that he was feeling, Merlin found himself laughing. He had never thought that Lancelot would be such a natural with children, but found that he wasn’t truly surprised. The man had such a gentle nature as it was.

“I should go and be with him.” Merlin stood up, but Gwen almost shot up after him, resting her hand on his own.

“Lance has this one.”

“But Arthur…”

“Needs to know that he can trust the rest of us as much as he can trust you, Merlin, or you are going to have some serious problems down the road if you’re the only one he responds to.” Merlin nodded, but he was still biting his lip.

“But he is ill…”

“That is why you are going to go and make a phone call instead.”

“I am?”

“You are.” Gwen confirmed, exerting a small amount of pressure on his arm as she steered him out into the hallway. Leon was still holding a tearful Morgana and Gwen took one look at them and practically ordered Leon to take Morgana home. Leon looked towards Merlin, who nodded, and began to lead Morgana from the flat. Merlin knew she was taking it just as hard as he was, perhaps even more so as Arthur had given no sign of trusting her yet.

“Did I ever tell you that you were an awesome queen?” Merlin asked, a fond smile on his face. Gwen blushed prettily and glanced back through to the living room.

“Don’t tell Lance that. Now, phone.” Merlin stared at the handset she had picked up, wondering when on earth she had moved to get it.

“And who am I calling? Gaius again?”

“Nope. Your mother.”

“My..?”

“Yes, Merlin, your mother.”

“Why?” Gwen smiled at his complete lack of understanding and moved forward. She cupped his cheek, tilting his head up to face her and looked into his eyes. Merlin tried to glance away, overwhelmed by the compassion that he saw in that one look, but Gwen wouldn’t let him.

“Because I would say that was what Arthur needed right now, wouldn’t you? He needs a parent, but we can’t get him to Uther.”

“I wouldn’t let him…”

“You’ll have to. You may be his destiny, Merlin, but you’re not his father. Look at us… None of us are over 26, not even Leon. We can plan a rescue operation like it is a walk in the park, but looking after a five year old? I don’t care what it looked like back there, I don’t know what I’m doing and neither does Lance. Arthur is tired and ill, not to mention probably wondering what the hell is going on. He’ll behave now but what happens when he regains his confidence? Are you telling me you are prepared for a five year old Arthur Pendragon?”

Merlin huffed a small laugh, raising his hand so that he could take Gwen’s. He tugged it down from his face, but held gently on.

“You’ll make a great mum, Gwen.”

“Maybe. When Lancelot and I decide the time is right. But that isn’t now, Merlin, and it certainly isn’t for Arthur. We’re his friends, and as soon as he realises that, all he has to do is pout and we’ll give him anything. We need a mother here.”

Merlin gently nodded. If he was honest, he wasn’t sure what Gwen might by her last sentence. Yes, Arthur was in need of someone who truly knew how to look after him. But if he was honest, Merlin felt that he could really do with seeing his own mother right now. He might be able to tell Arthur that it was going to be alright, but who was going to be able to say that to him? His friends had looked to him to lead this, but now it was done, he had no idea what he was doing. Gwen gave his hand a gentle squeeze and disappeared down the hallway towards Merlin’s room. Merlin had a feeling his thoughts must have shown in his face and he felt a rush of gratitude towards his friend even as he began dialling a well-known number. On the third rang, a familiar voice rang in his ear and Merlin felt his resolve crumble.

“Mum? I need your help.”

_“Merlin? Merlin, love, what’s wrong?”_

“I…” Merlin backed up until his back hit the wall and slid down it in a crouch. He tucked his knees into his chest and stared at the opposite wall, feeling like he was Arthur’s age rather than twenty one.

“ _Merlin?”_

“I found him, Mum.” Merlin whispered. He knew that his mother wouldn’t even need to think about who he meant, there was only one person who had ever managed to make Merlin sound like that, both in this lifetime and the last.

“ _Is he..?”_

 _“_ He’s okay. He’s got a bit of a temperature and he isn’t talking, but Gaius is coming over in the morning and I really have no idea what to do and need your help and…”

 _“Love, breathe.”_ Merlin drew a shuddering breath, feeling the tears he had been close to all afternoon finally spill free at the firm note in his mother’s voice. Gwen was right, they had no idea what to do with Arthur now.

“Will you come?” Merlin whispered and he could almost hear his mother’s reassuring smile.

“ _Of course, love. But right now, you are going to drink a glass of water, take a couple of aspirin and lie down in Gwaine’s room as I’m sure you’ve given yours to Arthur. You might be able to hide that headache from your friends, sweetheart, but you can’t from me. Now, go and lie down, and I’ll be there when you wake up.”_

 _“_ Thanks, Mum.” Merlin whispered, hearing her say that she loved him and she’ll be right over. He disconnected, but stayed sitting where he was for a long moment, mulling over everything that had just happened and trying to work out what to do next. Eventually, Merlin climbed to his feet, put the phone back and moved down the corridor.

There was no question of what he had to do next. He had to do what his mother told him.


	8. Chapter 8

Despite having gone through a stage in his teens when he did the exact opposite of everything his mother told him to do, Merlin knew the day had yet to come when he truly disobeyed her. So as soon as he had hung up the phone, he found himself doing exactly as she had instructed, only pausing for long enough to double check that Gwen would be able to stay around until his mother arrived while he got some rest. The look Gwen gave him in response made Merlin wonder whether she had known the second she put the phone into his hand what Hunith would say.

Not having the energy to fight, Merlin had swallowed a couple of tablets and crashed down onto Gwaine’s bed. Considering the man was still out at the pharmacy with the others, Merlin was sure he wouldn’t mind. His thought processes didn’t get as far as wondering what he would say when he got back, however, for sleep had already stolen up on the warlock and taken him into another world.

Merlin had no idea how long he slept for. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t dream or have his head full of Arthur’s shouts for help. He knew it was because the child was recognising that he was now safe, but Merlin was just grateful that he was able to get some rest. He wasn’t sure what woke him initially, but as soon as a hint of consciousness began to make itself known, Merlin was acutely aware that there was someone sitting on the bed next to him. Not yet fully awake, Merlin jolted upright, his magic humming through his veins and preparing to react.

“Hush, child,” a voice chided and Merlin instantly collapsed back down onto the bed. Feeling his heart rate beginning to return to normal, he rolled over until he was on his back and looked up at his mother.

“How long have you been there?” He asked, his voice slurring slightly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Hunith smiled and reached out a hand, brushing it through her son’s hair.

“Long enough to know that you were in a deeper sleep than you have been for a while if you didn’t sense my presence. Sorry I woke you.”

“You didn’t,” Merlin murmured with a yawn. He lay where he was for a moment before forcing himself into an upright position. That seemed to sap the last of his energy and he made to lean against the wall. It was only his mother’s quick reactions that stopped him from falling off the bed as he remembered he was in Gwaine’s room rather than his own and so the set up was different. Shooting her a grateful grin, Merlin swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he could sit up properly, but found himself yawning again.

“Why don’t you go back to sleep, love?” Despite knowing his mother only wanted what was best for him, Merlin found that he was shaking his head.

“I’m not sure I would be able to even if I wanted to. I need to…”

“Check on Arthur?” Hunith said with a knowing smile, standing up and brushing out the invisible creases in her dress as Merlin looked up at her ruefully.

“How is he?” Merlin didn’t need to ask to know that Hunith had only come through to sit with him once she had seen to the five year old. There was no way she was going to leave a child who was ill and exhausted just to be by the side of her twenty one year old son who had no idea she was even there.

“He’s fine.”

“But he had a temperature and…”

“Merlin. He is fine.” Merlin swallowed hard at the firm note in his mother’s voice. It was a tone he knew too well, one that normally meant he was on the verge of panicking and it was up to her to bring him back from the brink again. Sure enough, there was soon a hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back as Merlin lent over, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

“He’s had some medicine and he was asleep when I left him with Gwen. He’s not really ill, it’s just the events of the day catching up with him. I know Gaius is coming over in the morning, meaning if there is anything wrong other than just his body processing what it has just been through, then Gaius will find out. See, he is fine.”

“Thanks, Mum.” Merlin whispered, sitting up again and kissing her cheek. She laughed and swatted at him fondly, knowing full well that Merlin would only truly accept the explanations once he had seen for himself that Arthur was indeed okay and sleeping. Padding across the hallway, Merlin blinked as he glanced towards the lounge. Only a lamp in the corner was on, highlighting where Gwaine was sprawled across the sofa watching something on t.v. Lancelot was curled up in the armchair under the lamp, a book in his hand, but everyone else had gone.

“It’s gone nine, Merlin.” His mother once again seemed to realise why Merlin had stopped and the warlock huffed a breath of surprise. He had slept longer than he thought he had, and instantly felt a wave of guilt over the fact that he hadn’t been there to help his friends with Arthur. Making sure his mother didn’t get to see his face – Merlin knew quite what an open book he was to her – he continued his journey until he was pushing open his bedroom door. Gwen was sitting with her back against the wall, her fingers carding through Arthur’s hair. He was sitting in between her legs, leaning back on her chest with his thumb firmly in his mouth. Merlin felt his heart catch at the deep frown on Arthur’s face, but the fact he was asleep was enough to make the warlock smile.

“Don’t you want the light off?” he whispered, moving across the room. Gwen shook her head.

“I think he is afraid of the dark. We tried; I’m surprised he didn’t wake you with his cries at that. You know what those places are like; there is always a light on somewhere. I think Arthur has got used to sleeping with the light on.”

Merlin nodded his understanding, perching on the edge of the bed and letting his hand rest on Arthur’s leg. The little boy snuffled slightly, but then seemed to sigh as he fell still again. Merlin looked up to find a matching smile of fondness on Gwen’s face that he was sure was on his own.

“Hard to see him as our king like this, isn’t he?” he whispered and Gwen’s smile widened. Both of them just sat there for a few moments, both watching Arthur sleep and not wanting to say anything in case they disturbed him. Merlin didn’t realise quite how intently he was watching his destiny until Arthur’s face crumpled even more and Merlin was moving before he had truly registered the thought.

“He’s waking up,” he murmured to Gwen, who instantly sat up a little straight. How Merlin knew, he wasn’t sure, but there was just something about the way that Arthur was shifting that made him convince the little boy was stirring. Arthur let out a sleepy cough, his thumb coming out his mouth so he could rub at his eyes without opening them.

“Arthur?” Merlin called softly, letting his thumb brush small circles on Arthur’s leg as he coaxed the child into opening his eyes. Arthur snuffled, coughing again but snuggled closer into Gwen. Merlin grinned, his mind taking him back to another Arthur who didn’t like to be woken up.

“I know you’re awake,” he teased lightly, his smile widening as Arthur simply shook his head.

“No?” Arthur shook his head again but continued rubbing his eye. Eventually, he opened them.

“Aha, there he is.” Merlin smiled, feeling like his heart was swelling with affection as Arthur gave him a timid smile back. He longed for the days when Arthur smiled without wondering if he was going to get into trouble for it, but the fact that he felt like he had a reason to smile was good enough for Merlin. Before he could say anything else, Hunith appeared in the doorway.

“Did you have a nice nap?” She moved across the room, almost pushing Merlin out of the way as she crouched down in front of Arthur. Merlin played it up, pretending to try and maintain his balance before crashing down. He was rewarded with another smile from Arthur and a look of incredulity from his mother. Merlin shrugged, a smile on his own face. It was clearly enough to reassure her that her son was fine for Hunith shook her head and turned back to Arthur.

“Are you hungry?” Arthur glanced towards Merlin, almost as if he was asking permission. Merlin kept his face easy even as something ugly coiled inside him in anger.

“It’s okay, Arthur. She’s my mum. She’s going to take good care of you. You just ask for anything you want.” Merlin almost bit his lip after he had finished, not wanting Arthur to think they were trying to push him into talking. The young boy frowned for a moment, before shyly glancing up at Hunith and nodding.

“Excellent. Gwen will help me, won’t you, dear?” Merlin knew by the look on Gwen’s face that his friend realised she didn’t have a say in it. She carefully navigate her way out from under Arthur, jumped to her feet and followed Hunith out of the door. It was only because of Gwen’s determination that they had a mother on the scene that stopped Merlin from saying anything. He had always trusted Hunith to do the best she could for him growing up, and he had no doubt that was what she was doing with Arthur. The fact that he didn’t understand it just reminded him of why she was the parent and not him.

Arthur turned until he could dangle his legs over the side of the bed, swinging them slightly as he tried to stifle another cough. Merlin stayed sitting on the floor, watching him closely. He didn’t know what to say in order for it not to seem as if he was pushing Arthur to open up before he was ready. As Arthur lifted his arm, Merlin saw that Gwaine’s sleeve was coming unrolled and hiding his hands. Realising that gave him a way of approaching without startling Arthur, Merlin knelt up and slowly reached for Arthur’s hand. He made sure that he kept eye contact the whole time, smiling reassuringly when it looked like Arthur was going to pull back. The little boy stayed still and Merlin found he was talking nonsense, the first things that came into his head, as he proceeded to roll the sleeves back up and making sure that Arthur had use of his hands. As his fingers brushed over the bruises on Arthur’s wrists, Merlin let a soft trickle of magic escape him and soothe the sores. Arthur possibly wouldn’t even realise that he had done it, but it would take away any discomfort.

No sooner was he done when Hunith walked back in with a tray. As she balanced it on the edge of the bed, Merlin found himself smiling. Jam sandwiches with the crusts cut off and a large glass of milk. No matter what had been troubling him, this was always the answer up until he was about 13. Arthur glanced at it with wide eyes.

“It was Gwen who decided on strawberry jam, Arthur, so blame her if you don’t like it.” Hunith continued chatting away as she propped up the pillows, lifting Arthur and sitting him up against the wall. She placed the plate on his lap and the glass to one side, but it was the drink Arthur went for first. He carefully lifted it in both hands, took a sip and pulled a face before covering it up. As he put the glass down again, Merlin let his hand rest against it, grinning when he thought he knew what the problem was.

“Do you want it warm, Arthur?” He asked gently, watching as Arthur’s eyes lit up and he nodded. It was the most enthusiastic Merlin had seen him about anything and he couldn’t help but laugh. He turned to face his mother, a plea in his eyes, but he didn’t need to open his mouth before he knew what the answer was going to be. If he wanted to warm it up for Arthur, he would have to do it himself. Reaching out and ruffling Arthur’s hair, Merlin picked up the glass and walked out of the room. He couldn’t resist turning back to look one last time before heading to the kitchen, frowning when he saw that Arthur wasn’t eating.

Placing the glass in the microwave, Merlin started when his mother suddenly came up behind him.

“Who is with Arthur?” He practically demanded, ignoring the ding as the microwave finished. His mother smiled gently.

“No one. He can be by himself for a few moments.” Merlin knew there was something she wasn’t telling him and Hunith sighed.

“He wouldn’t eat anything. I’m not sure if it was just because he didn’t want people watching him, so I thought I would give him some privacy for a few moments.” She explained and Merlin felt himself sagging at how jumpy he was being. He opened his mouth to apologise, but his mother cupped his cheek instead.

“I know how hard this is for you, love. But don’t crowd him and don’t push him. He needs to come out of his shell at his own speed, and if that means clearing the room when he eats for a few days, then so be it. Until he talks, we won’t know what has been happening to him in there and therefore have no chance of understanding why he is behaving the way that he is.”

“I heard him screaming, Mum,” Merlin whispered. Immediately, there were arms around him and for the first time since finding Arthur, Merlin let himself be comforted. “He was so scared, so desperate for me to come and get him out. He was calling for me, by name. He didn’t understand why I wasn’t there like I always used to be, and I couldn’t find him.”

“But you did find him.”

“I should have found him quicker.”

“Don’t you dare say that.” Hands grasped his shoulders and forced Merlin into an upright position. He couldn’t meet his mother’s eye until her hand cupped his chin and forced him to look at her.

“You did everything that you could, Merlin. You saw his face upon waking up and seeing you there. Arthur knows that you got him out, and within a week or so, he won’t remember if he spent a minute or a year calling for you, all he will know is that you came.”

“Within a week?” Merlin’s tone was laced with disbelief, but Hunith smiled.

“He’s five. It is amazing what one that age can heal from within a relatively short space of time. Just keep making sure he feels safe and he’ll be back to normal in no time. Now go on, take him his milk before it gets cold again.”

Merlin grinned, kissed his mother on the cheek and took the drink. If he let a trickle of magic escape into the glass to keep it warm until Arthur was ready for it – however long that might take – then no one saw him to be able to say anything. His magic might not be as powerful as it used to be, but he still had enough power to make Arthur’s life easier. Letting himself quietly into the room, Merlin turned towards the bed and stopped dead.

Arthur didn’t look as if he had moved an inch. But the plate in front of him now barely had a crumb left on it and his eyes lit up at seeing the drink in Merlin’s hand. For a second, it looked as if he was going to reach for it before he caught himself and just sat there watching the warlock.

“There you are,” Merlin murmured fondly, placing it in Arthur’s hands. The young boy practically gulped it down until Merlin reached out to steady the glass.

“You’ll give yourself hiccups,” he warned and Arthur blushed. To Merlin’s delight, the boy listened to what he had just been told and proceeded to drink the rest at a slower rate before putting the glass carefully down and yawning.

“Time to go back to sleep?” Merlin suggested and Arthur nodded again. Before the warlock could say anything, Arthur rolled off the bed and crawled underneath it.

“Arthur?” Merlin could hear him searching for something, but the warlock could only stand there and stare, not knowing what Arthur was doing. He had just bent down in order to have a look when Arthur crawled out again and Merlin let out a laugh. Gripped in the five year old’s hand was a bear so old that Merlin had completely forgotten his mother had insisted he bring it to the flat when they had moved in. How long it had been under the bed for, Merlin didn’t want to know. He took it from Arthur’s arms and made a show of brushing the dust off it, letting his eyes flare gold in order to make sure it was clean. Arthur had climbed back onto the bed by the time Merlin was done, watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Holding the bear out again, Merlin wasn’t sure how to react as Arthur took it carefully, watched Merlin with a guarded expression for a long moment before hugging it tightly to his chest, looking as if he never wanted to let go.

“Sleep well, Arthur.” Merlin muttered, tugging the covers up around the little boy and watching as Arthur’s eyes flickered shut.


	9. Chapter 9

Despite having already slept for a few hours, Merlin found he was unable to keep his eyes open. He assumed it was the knowledge that Arthur was safe and there were people around to look after him that allowed the tension to leave his body properly for the first time in weeks. Ever since Arthur had spent the night screaming for him, Merlin had constantly felt haunted, as if once again the weight of his destiny was crushing him. He had thought they had left that behind in their first lifetime with Merlin being the one responsible for everything that happened, but as soon as his memories had returned and he realised that Arthur was missing, Merlin knew he was going to get no rest this time around either.

The years since realising who he was and beginning to understand his powers had mainly been spent trying to get a hint of where Arthur was. For the first time since realising who he was, Merlin could sleep easy in the knowledge that Arthur was safe. He never even made it out of the room, just found that his head was being cushioned on his arms against the bed, his face turned towards Arthur as he dozed off.

Merlin wasn’t sure what woke him initially. It wasn’t the same feeling as being watched, and the first conscious thought on the matter he had was that it was  because his back was screaming at him for falling asleep in such an awkward position. Merlin awkwardly sat up, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back for a long moment as he tried to get some feeling back in his body. But as his arms dropped to his side again, he realised what it was that he had heard.

A small whimper of distress coming from the boy asleep in the bed.

Merlin inched forward, now grateful that there was already a light on. A glance at the clock showed it to be around 1AM and someone – he suspected his mother – had draped a blanket over him at some point. But Merlin let that fall to the floor as he leant over the bed, attempting to get a better look at his small king. He blinked at seeing how Arthur was so curled up under the blankets, only the top of his head visible. But even as Merlin watched, he seemed to flinch slightly, curling up tighter and letting out another whimper. Merlin sighed, realising that he should have seen this coming. Arthur had been through too much for it not to make itself apparent in his dreams.

“Shh, you’re okay…” Merlin murmured softly, not wanting to wake him completely but hoping to ease him back into a restful sleep. For a moment, Merlin thought it had worked as Arthur fell still, but then he disappeared under the covers completely, the blankets trembling slightly as the little boy shook.

“Arthur.” Trying to sound confident, Merlin put his hand on the lump. It gave another tremble, and Arthur let out a sound that went straight to Merlin’s heart. He drew his hand back, preparing to awaken the boy, but before he could do so, the covers were ripped down as Arthur suddenly flung himself to one side. Merlin almost fell off the bed as he tried to avoid Arthur’s thrashing arm, but quickly regained his balance as another sound pierced the air. Only this time, it wasn’t a whimper.

It was a scream.

“Arthur. Arthur, wake up.” At the back of his mind, Merlin was aware that other people were beginning to stir at the noise. For a reason he couldn’t quite explain, he didn’t want other people to come and soothe Arthur, he wanted to be the one. Arthur was his destiny, and while Merlin knew that this protectiveness was only going to lead to trouble further down the line, he felt he had every right to look after Arthur on his own. Arthur was his destiny, it had been Merlin that the little boy was calling for.

But right now, Merlin couldn’t think about that. He had a five year old to wake up, without really knowing how. Arthur was now visible since throwing off the covers and Merlin felt his heart catch at seeing the tears running down his face despite the fact he was asleep. He had just moved forward when he heard his name being called. For a moment, he could only stare at the boy, wondering if Arthur had refound his voice. But then he realised the words hadn’t been in reality, he had been hearing it in his head. Just how Arthur had been calling for him while distance had separated them, his subconscious was doing the same thing now.

“Arthur, wake up. I’m right here, right next to you. Come on, wake up,” Merlin carried on coaxing Arthur back towards alertness as he shifted position on the bed until he could rest his hand on Arthur’s head. The boy’s temperature was up again in his distress and Merlin found his magic was reacting even without him telling it to. A spiral of power trickled from the warlock into the child, slipping into Arthur’s mind and trying to replace the fear with the knowledge that he was safe. If he was honest, Merlin wasn’t quite sure what the magic was doing, but he knew it always acted with Arthur’s best interests at heart.

The same thing was true now. The feeling of safety was enough for Arthur to jerk awake, his arms searching before he opened his eyes. This time, Merlin knew precisely what he needed and immediately pulled the five year old into a hug. Holding him close, Merlin stroked Arthur’s hair gently, holding the boy against his chest and rocking him slightly. He knew the same tactics had worked on him when he was younger and knew how grounding hearing the steady heartbeat of another could be. For a moment, Arthur remained rigid with tension and Merlin wasn’t sure whether he was properly awake or not.

But then he suddenly sagged and Merlin found his hand was instinctively rubbing up and down his back soothingly as Arthur dissolved into sobs. Merlin only knew he was crying because he could feel the tears soaking his top, Arthur simply shook but didn’t make a sound. With a great deal of effort, the warlock managed to suppress the anger once again wanting to spring back into life. How many times had Arthur woken up from a nightmare and had no one there to comfort him? He now felt like simply distracting Morgause and Cendred was not enough considering Arthur wouldn’t even talk yet.

How long he sat on the bed, just giving the boy the contact he needed, Merlin had no idea. Arthur’s tears slowly ebbed away, the occasional sniffle making itself known as his vice grip like on Merlin’s shirt finally began to loosen. Merlin leant forward, intending on getting Arthur lying down again so he could ease him back to sleep, but no sooner had he started moving when Arthur’s grip tensed again and he gave a small whimper.

“Okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you…” Realising that Arthur wasn’t going to let him go any time soon, Merlin managed to navigate the pair of them around until he could lean against the wall. He didn’t know what to say and wasn’t sure whether asking Arthur about the nightmare was a good idea or not. He wanted to know what was troubling the boy – apart from the obvious – but he didn’t want Arthur to feel like he was being forced to talk before he was ready. Realising that Arthur had moved until it was his back resting against Merlin; the warlock let his magic react instinctively again.

The room was soon filled with magical animals. Sparks in the air forming into shapes, acting out scenes of hares bounding around and even a dragon soaring overhead. Merlin found that he was entranced by them, never having seen his magic do this without him telling it so, but eventually spared Arthur a glance. By awkwardly twisting, Merlin could see the boy’s face.

Arthur was falling asleep; there was no doubt about that. But his eyes were watching the dragon, a small smile tugging on his lips. His thumb came up to his mouth again and Merlin was sure he heard a soft exhale as Arthur sighed and snuggled back against him. As the animals began to fade away, Merlin felt Arthur relax completely and by the time he next looked at the boy, Arthur’s eyes were shut and his breathing had evened out.

“I’ve got you,” Merlin whispered, leaning his head back against the wall and sighing. Deep down inside of him, however, he was smiling. Arthur had accepted his magic, he had even been soothed by it. Merlin couldn’t help but feel as if something had slotted into place within him and he let out a sigh that echoed Arthur’s.

MMM

Merlin didn’t realise that he must have drifted off to sleep again until he felt something wriggling in his arms. He shifted slightly and the wriggling stopped, only to then restart again a few seconds later. Merlin made to shift again, only this time managed to open his eyes at the same time and glanced down to find Arthur watching him.

Instantly, he knew the child was better than he had been the day before. He still looked tired – not helped by his restless night – but the flush had gone and his eyes seemed clearer. As Merlin looked at him, Arthur gave a small smile and then wriggled again, clearly indicating that he had enough of sitting on the bed now and wanted to get down. Merlin quickly unwrapped his arms from the boy and watched as Arthur slithered over to the edge and carefully dropped to the floor. No sooner had he got his feet down the door opened.

Merlin glanced up and grinned at Gwaine, but the man didn’t pay him any attention. Instead, he looked down at Arthur in a teasing manner, his eyes glinting.

“So there is the little shirt thief.”

Arthur glanced back over his shoulder at Merlin. Merlin could see his eyes shining a little, clearly knowing that Gwaine was teasing but not being quite sure how to react. Merlin smiled and nodded encouragingly, an action that wasn’t lost on Gwaine.

“I might have to take it back you know,” Gwaine continued, ignoring Hunith coming in behind him, something clasped behind her back. Merlin moved along the bed until he could see Arthur’s face, watching as the little boy chewed his lip nervously, his hands tugging at the shirt as he clearly tried to show that he didn’t have anything else apart from what he had been wearing when they had got him out of the hospital. Arthur glanced at Merlin again, seeking reassurance, but the warlock was too busy frowning at Gwaine as he tried to work out what the man was doing. Gwaine knew that Arthur had nothing else and Merlin knew the once-knight wouldn’t let Arthur wear the hospital clothes any more than Merlin would. Gwaine seemed to sense the confusion and rolled his eyes.

“It’s a good job that a bag of clothes landed on our doorstep then, isn’t it?” Hunith brought the back out from behind her back and put it on the floor. Arthur started forward, then stopped and just looked at them for a long moment. Gwaine seemed to realise that he wasn’t going to go the extra few steps himself, so crouched down and opened the bag. He pulled out a t-shirt that looked to be Arthur’s size, holding it up against himself.

“What do you reckon, think it will fit me?” Arthur’s eyes had gone wide but he shook his head energetically at Gwaine’s question.

“No? How about Merlin, he’s a beanpole.”

“Hey!”

Gwaine ducked the flying cushion, but Arthur shook his head again, a smile beginning to form on his face.

“Well, it can’t be Hunith, as these are for boys. What do you say, Arthur, can you think of anyone they might fit?”

Arthur slowly nodded, finally moving the last few steps until he was standing next to Gwaine. Very slowly, he reached out a hand and touched the top, looking towards Hunith with something that could resemble awe in his eyes. Merlin grinned as his mother answered the question they could all see on Arthur’s face.

“Yes, they are for you. Now come along, we’re going to get you cleaned up and dressed before breakfast.” There was no arguing with her when she used that tone, but Arthur obediently took her hand and allowed the mother to lead him down the corridor. Merlin watched them go, grinning at how Arthur had felt secure enough to not have to look back and check with Merlin before going. If anyone would make the boy feel at ease, it would be his mother.

“How you holding up, mate?” Gwaine rose from the floor and sat down on the edge of his flatmate’s bed. Merlin scooted back a pace so his friend wouldn’t be in danger of falling off and shrugged.

“He looks better this morning.”

“Not him, you.” Merlin shrugged again, offering Gwaine a sheepish smile. The man knew him well; both before and after their memories had returned had planted him firmly in the role of best friend. He didn’t need Merlin to say it, he knew. When they knew that Arthur was going to be okay, that would be when Merlin would be okay as well.

“He had a really bad nightmare last night. I didn’t think I was going to be able to wake him up.”

“But you did. We looked in on you before heading to the shops, mate, and you were both fast asleep, so you obviously calmed him down enough for him to feel safe. Just give the kid some time. We don’t even know how much he remembers until he starts talking again.”

“It feels wrong having Arthur this quiet,” Merlin murmured, staring wistfully towards the door and out into the corridor beyond where his king had just disappeared. “I would rather he was trying to tell me what to do than this.”

“Give him time, the kid has been through a lot. Morgana told us all how she found him and I wish I could get my hands on Morgause, that bitch…”

“Gwaine! Mind, you don’t know if Arthur can hear you or not, you’ve got to watch what you are saying.” Gwaine took one look at his friend and burst out laughing. Merlin felt himself blush even as he too saw the amusing side to what he had just said. Arthur was supposed to be their king, their leader. And instead, they were making sure they minded their language in front of him because he was only five years old.

“Is Gaius still coming?” Merlin finally stood up, crossing his room and finding a clean shirt himself. He wanted a nice long, hot shower, but knew he wouldn’t feel happy about leaving Arthur until Gaius had been. He knew he was being paranoid, but considering Arthur had still been screaming in his head that night, he thought he had every right to be. His mother wouldn’t let things get too bad, Merlin was sure of that.

“Should be over in about an hour. Your mum spoke to him this morning and he said to try and get Arthur to eat something. I know he ate last night, but we’ll more be able to tell what his appetite is like if he eats again this morning.”

“Why Gwaine,” Merlin teased, pulling off his top and wriggling into a clean one, his hair sticking up all over the place. “You almost sounded wise.”

“I look wiser than you right now, mate,” Gwaine retorted, standing up and heading towards the door. Merlin grinned, moving to the mirror and dragging his fingers through his hair in an attempt to get it to sit flat. But as he did so, Merlin found that he was focusing less on his hair and more on the look in his eye. He had been right in thinking that Arthur was looking better this morning, but he wasn’t sure the same could be said about him. He had always been pale, but he seemed even more so now, his eyes red from his disturbed night.

But it was more than that. There was a look burning deep within his eyes that he knew had nothing to do with the magic running through his body. He knew what it was, but admitting it to himself scared him. He wanted revenge. Just like Gwaine, he wanted to be able to make Morgause and Cendred pay for what they had done to his king.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin forced the feelings down again. He knew he would have to face up to them properly at some point, but right now, Arthur needed him. He needed him to be the strong warlock who banished all of the little boy’s fears with just a few magic tricks rather than someone who was just thinking about how to avenge the boy’s life so far.

But it was only as there came a knock on the flat door – signalling Gaius’ arrival despite him being early – did Merlin truly allow himself to think about what had happened last night. Arthur had been calmed by the magic, he had even smiled and relaxed at it. Merlin had to take another deep breath just to stop the tears from pricking at his eyes. It was everything he had ever dreamt of, being accepted for who he truly was. More than that, Arthur was still relying on him despite knowing the power that ran through the warlock’s veins. Maybe in this lifetime, their friendship wouldn’t be built on a lie.

With a smile on his face and his heart feeling considerably lighter, Merlin went to answer the door. 


	10. Chapter 10

“Gaius,” Merlin smiled as he opened the door, knowing his words came out more of a sigh of relief than anything else. His old guardian stepped forward, his hands resting on Merlin’s shoulders for a long moment as he looked the young man up and down. For a moment, neither of them said anything until Gaius suddenly pulled Merlin in for a hug. Merlin wasn’t sure if the old man had changed in this lifetime in regards to giving affection so openly, or whether he too was feeling the overwhelming emotions, but Merlin swiftly melted into it before finally pulling Gaius in through the door.

“It’s good to see you,” Merlin clapped his hand over Gaius as he spoke. He hadn’t realised quite how much he had missed the man until seeing him again now. Ever since they had regained their memories of a life long ago, Merlin had been so focused on finding Arthur that he hadn’t truly thought about Gaius. Having his friends around meant he had never been forced to consider how lonely his life would have been if they had stayed separate, and he wondered if that was how Gaius’ life had been.

“You too, my boy, you too.”  Merlin didn’t want to take Gaius straight through to see Arthur. He knew that his mother was sorting out the young boy, and finally found himself believing what she had said in regards to making sure Arthur was responding to everyone as well as just him. Knowing the child would be having breakfast once they got him dressed, Merlin sat Gaius down on the sofa.

“How have you been?”

Sitting down next to his old mentor, Merlin knew that his mother would make it known when they were ready for them. So instead, he used this time that he had in order to catch up with the one man who had always been there for him all that time ago. Gaius too seemed to be feeling the same, for his questions never stopped and he kept probing for more information. Merlin wasn’t used to talking about how this life had gone for him, not when they had past lives of kings and magic in comparison. It felt strange to be talking about what he had studied at school and what jobs he had done, but at the same time, he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

After about half an hour, Merlin became aware of there being more and more movement from the kitchen. He broke off mid-sentence, instinctively turning towards the door even as Gwaine opened it.

“Gaius!” It seemed Merlin was not the only one glad to have the chance to have a catch up with the once-physician, but Gwaine did little more than slap the old man on the back – a little too hard if Gaius’ grimace was anything to go by – before turning to Merlin.

“I don’t know what you did to get him to eat last night, but he won’t do it this morning. Even your mother is having trouble.”

“I assume this means it is time for me to examine my patient?” It came as no surprise that Gaius didn’t even need to ask who they were talking about. Merlin grinned sheepishly, not wanting the old man to feel like he had only been brought here because they were worried about Arthur. Despite knowing that was indeed the truth, Merlin was hoping Gaius would look past that and just hope they were pleased to see him because of their shared past, not because of his experience. Merlin stood up, nodding and beginning to lead the way into the kitchen.

“Not even one more mouthful for me?” Hearing the cajoling tones of his mother, Merlin followed the noise. He thought he had felt a weight leave him when Gwaine had changed Arthur the day before, but nothing prepared him for the rush of relief at seeing Arthur in clothes that fitted him properly. His hair had been washed and more colour had returned to his face. But as Merlin drew closer, he could see there was a look of misery on Arthur’s face again and his eyes seemed to be shining with unshed tears.

For a heart stopping moment, Merlin truly believed that Arthur was so miserable because they had taken him away from the hospital. He knew Arthur had been terrified there, but he was only five. They had taken him away from what he knew, maybe this was what was now scaring him? But his fears were quickly squashed when Arthur saw him coming. He instantly slid from the seat and had closed the gap between them almost before Merlin saw him coming. He didn’t even have time to bend down until arms had wrapped around his legs and clung on tightly.

“He had a mouthful and now won’t eat another thing. I can’t get him to drink either,” Hunith kept her voice low as she watched the two of them and Merlin nodded in understanding. Gently untangling Arthur’s arms from his legs, he crouched down so they were eyelevel.

“Are you not hungry, Arthur?” He asked gently, knowing that sounding angry was just going to make Arthur withdraw further. A few days time and they might be able to sound a little firmer with the boy, but right now he needed to know he was safe. Arthur shook his head, chewing on his lip as a tear fell down his face.

“Or do you want something else?” Big blue eyes looked up at Merlin as Arthur shook his head and the warlock found himself reaching forward before he knew what he was doing. Arthur didn’t pull away, he just screwed up his face as Merlin felt his temperature and he knew that Arthur had been hoping they wouldn’t notice. Sighing, Merlin pulled back again and not knowing what else to do, pulled Arthur into a hug.

“He’s warm again,” he murmured gently, feeling Arthur’s arms loop around his neck as the child made it obvious he had no intention of letting go again.

“Let me have a look at him, Merlin.” Merlin felt Arthur’s grip tighten at Gaius’ voice and he knew the child hadn’t seen the physician coming in. Sliding his arms under Arthur’s legs, he picked him up and moved across until he could balance Arthur on the kitchen top. Once he was sure the surface had the boy’s weight, he drew back. His own hands folded over Arthur’s as he made the boy let go, but he kept hold.

“You remember Gaius, Arthur? He’s going to help look after you again, just like he did all of that time ago. Is that okay by you?”

Arthur’s eyes slid over Merlin’s shoulder and the warlock didn’t move, knowing that Arthur was trying to familiarise himself with the man in front of him again. They still didn’t know whether Arthur’s memories had returned in exactly the same way theirs had, and Merlin knew they wouldn’t know until the boy felt secure enough to talk. Eventually, Arthur nodded but he didn’t let go of Merlin.

“Can you let him take a look at you?” Merlin blinked in surprise when Arthur shook his head, tears once again building in his eyes. Merlin frowned, watching Arthur closely. For his part, Arthur was watching Gaius. It was clear he could remember the old man, he almost seemed to be apologising with his eyes for not wanting to be examined. But for some reason, Merlin knew Arthur was not about to let Gaius approach. Just as he was trying to fathom it out, Gwaine cursed under his breath.

Merlin couldn’t hold back his laughter as his mother scolded the man in exactly the same manner that Merlin had done only a few hours earlier for not minding his language around Arthur. He felt Arthur relaxing against him, clearly knowing that Merlin’s laughter meant there was nothing to worry about. By the time Merlin glanced back at him, the boy had his head resting against Merlin’s shoulder and his thumb had slipped back into his mouth. Gaius had moved forward in that time and even though he was making sure Merlin always stayed between him and Arthur, Merlin knew his old mentor was already beginning to examine Arthur just from afar.

“Why don’t you put him down for a sleep, Merlin?” The man suggested gently and Merlin realised Gaius was right – Arthur was falling back to sleep. Not knowing how much rest the boy had managed before – he still didn’t know whether Arthur had been awake and physically screaming for him or whether it had just been his subconscious – Merlin nodded his understanding and once again picked Arthur up. The boy barely moved, just shifting so that he could keep his head on Merlin’s shoulder as the warlock moved back down the hallway.

“You always were easy to put to bed. It was getting up again that was the awkward bit,” Merlin muttered, not truly thinking about what he was saying but feeling Arthur smiling against his neck. Merlin didn’t draw attention to it, however, not wanting Arthur to feel self-conscious. He could hear the soft murmur of voices coming from behind him and knew they were talking about what had just happened. Merlin found he was wanted to be back there, wanted to know what Gaius thought was wrong with Arthur.

But for now, he just carefully lowered them down to the bed and gently unwrapped Arthur’s limbs from his neck.

“You going to have a sleep and feel better?” He murmured gently, unable to stop himself from brushing his fingers through Arthur’s hair. Arthur blinked at him, curling himself up and continuing to suck his thumb. Assuming it meant he was relaxed, Merlin tugged the covers up around him and made to leave the room. He wasn’t sure if it was Arthur grabbing hold of his top that actually stopped him from leaving, or just the surprise at the action, but Merlin’s exit quickly came to an end as Arthur tugged him back.

“What’s wrong?”

Arthur shook his head, but continued to hold onto Merlin and gazed at him imploringly. Merlin didn’t need to ask.

“I can’t stay here all day, Arthur,” he said gently. He knew if he should have been given the chance, he would without thinking about it. But his mother wouldn’t let him for one thing, and he wasn’t Gaius or Gwaine would either. Merlin knew full well what they would say about coddling the once and future king.

To his horror, however, Arthur’s bottom lip trembled and he glanced towards the door. By the time he had glanced back again, his eyes were once again swimming with tears.

“Come on now, what’s the matter? You were fine last night. Is it Gaius, is that who is worrying you?” Merlin didn’t actually expect that to be the answer and he felt his blood run cold when Arthur tentatively nodded.

“Why? Arthur, you know Gaius. You know him better than you know the rest of us, why are you scared of him?” Merlin was rewarded with a shake of Arthur’s head. He got the feeling the little boy wanted to tell him, but didn’t know how.

“So you’re not scared of Gaius?”

Another shake.

“Are you scared of him examining you, Arthur?”

This time, Arthur nodded.

“He just wants to look after you though. Just the way I want to look after you. And Gwaine and my mum. You let us, but he is the one who…oh.” It was the widening of Arthur’s eyes that indicated that Merlin was on the right track. He tugged his top out of Arthur’s hand and turned around. Kneeling down on the floor but with his arms resting over the bed, Merlin looked Arthur directly in the eye.

“Is it because he is a doctor, Arthur?” As Arthur nodded tentatively, looking as if he expected Merlin to be angry, the warlock could have kicked himself for not thinking about it before. He hadn’t given any consideration to the roles that both Morgause and Cendred had been playing in the hospital. He had known all along they were only there because it was serving their purposes rather than doing anything beneficial. But looking at Arthur’s frightened expression, Merlin could recall Uther telling them how a doctor had supposedly been on hand at his arrest and it turned out to be Cendred who had proceeded to drug Arthur. When the little boy next woke up, he would have been without his father in that place.

No wonder he didn’t like the idea of them.

“Arthur, I need you to listen to me very closely,” Merlin took Arthur’s hand in his, looking the boy straight in the eye. “I know you are frightened, but I also know that you remember Gaius. He isn’t going to hurt you, I promise. You get some sleep now, and maybe when you wake up, he can have a look? I’ll be right there, you have my word. I don’t want you to worry about him, you understand? Get some sleep now though, it will be alright.”

It took a while and Merlin found himself promising over and over again that everything was going to be alright. Eventually, however, Arthur finally drifted off to sleep, although the frown didn’t leave his face. Merlin made sure his destiny was fast asleep and tucked in before sighing heavily and leaving the room. Making his way back into the kitchen, he caught Gaius’ eye and grinned apologetically.

“It’s because I’m a doctor, isn’t it?” Merlin wasn’t even taken aback by the fact Gaius knew precisely why Arthur had reacted the way he did. Merlin nodded.

“He wants to trust you in the way he once did, I can see it in his eyes. I think he just sees doctors as being the reason behind why he was in that hell. I swore that you wouldn’t be on your own with him, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologise to me, lad. You do what you have to do to get that boy back on his feet. I don’t think there will be anything wrong with him though, I would have seen it just through looking at him. He just needs rest, fluids and food.”

“He’s not eating though,” Gwaine muttered, sounding more subdued than Merlin thought he had ever heard his friend sound; either in this life or their previous ones. Gaius, however, didn’t look the slightest bit surprised.

“He’s tired and overwhelmed. He is probably used to a strict routine when it comes to eating. Give him a couple of days. If his appetite doesn’t come back by then, that is when we need to worry.”

Merlin sank into one of the kitchen stools and let his elbows rest on the table before burying his face in his hands. He felt his mother comfortingly brush her hand over his back.

“It’s okay, love…”

“Is it? I always knew, deep down, that he wasn’t going to be just happily playing in a garden somewhere. But finding him like this, knowing that he is scared of Gaius simply because he is a doctor…”

“Maybe it is time we start finding out some answers?” Gaius interrupted Merlin’s musing, but the warlock found that the corners of his mouth were beginning to turn up. He looked up and caught Gaius’ eye, only to find his old guardian had a similar smile. This had been their answer to everything for literally as long as Merlin could remember; hit the books and find a solution to their problems. They might not be trying to save the kingdom in the way they used to, but they still had a problem that needed a solution.

“Answers to what?”

“Precisely why Morgause had Arthur and what she wanted him for. That place you found him in, that was a real hospital. Not everyone in there could be involved with what was going on with Arthur. I say we try and find some of the staff who dealt with him, but not involved with Morgause and Cendred.”

“That should be easy,” Merlin muttered with a wry smile. At Gaius’ look, he shrugged. “You already said there was an Elena there. Maybe not everyone’s memories returned, but the names of the staff should pull up whose side they are on.”

Gaius smiled his understanding but didn’t say anything. Whether that was because he thought Merlin was right or wrong, the warlock wasn’t sure. He had a feeling he might be being humoured but Gwaine at least looked like he liked Merlin’s idea.

“Should I call the team back together again then?” Merlin paused, looking down the corridor towards his bedroom door. Part of him was saying to wait, to give Arthur longer to get used to the idea of being out of that place. But the other part of him wanted to make sure Morgause couldn’t find his destiny again. He nodded.

“Tell them to meet somewhere else though. I don’t want Arthur to have that many people here, he isn’t ready.”

Gwaine nodded his understanding and moved towards the phone. His speed told Merlin that his friend wanted to get back at Morgause as much as he did. Gwaine needed to be able to do this, just as Merlin needed to be able to protect Arthur. If he had refused, he had a feeling Gwaine would have slowly grown more and more agitated as the days passed, not knowing if they were about to be pursued or not. As Merlin finally turned his eyes from watching Gwaine, he realised both his mother and Gaius were watching him.

“What?”

“How about I try and take a look at Arthur now?” Gaius asked softly, sympathy lining his tone. Merlin had a feeling Gaius was more worried about him than he was the child. But Merlin could never put himself first, not when Arthur was in danger. He mutely nodded and led the way.


	11. Chapter 11

Merlin sat on the sofa, jiggling his leg up and down ignoring the warning looks his mother was shooting him. He had initially stayed with Arthur as Gaius began his examination, but the little boy had quickly relaxed. His memories of Gaius were strong enough to overcome the fear of doctors and he was soon smiling in the old man’s presence. As soon as he realised that, Gaius had all but thrown Merlin from the room, muttering something about patient confidentiality. Merlin had tried to argue; Arthur was five and wasn’t speaking, it wasn’t as if he was going to tell Gaius any big secret, but the look the doctor had subjected him to had made him blush and sheepishly scuffed his way back through to the lounge. His mother had roped him into helping Gwaine with the washing up and the two men had simply stood there like scolded school boys as they did as they were told.

Merlin’s attempt to get back to his room after they had finished clearing up was stopped and he found himself pushed into the lounge with the instructions to stay put. Merlin had tried pulling his laptop towards him, attempting to use a little magic to hack into the hospital’s database and find out who else worked there in order to try and work out who would be able to help Arthur. This time, it wasn’t about Morgause, but somehow who had been dealing with the child during his time there. Someone had to know the best way to handle the situation. If nothing else, they would have advice on how to properly deal with the fact Arthur wasn’t speaking.

The look Gwaine had given him, however, meant that hadn’t last long either. The rest of their friends were working on that and Morgana had just enough magic to use the same tricks that Merlin could in order to get into the system. He wasn’t going to find anything, his mind was too distracted. Knowing he had been caught out, Merlin had put it away again and simply sat there, his leg beginning to jiggle as he wondered what was taking Gaius so long with checking Arthur over.

“Merlin, love, I know you are worried, but can you please sit still?” Merlin knew that note to his mother’s voice. She was trying to be gentle and reassuring with him because she knew her son was worried. But it also meant he was driving her mad and she had to use every ounce of self-control not to snap at him.

“Sorry,” Merlin forced his leg to stop moving, and his hands instantly started twisting in his lap instead. This time, Hunith stood up and moved across the lounge until she could crouch in front of her son. She reached up and closed her hands over his.

“He’ll be just fine, Merlin. And anything that is wrong, Gaius will find it and treat it. You have to give him time. He’s going to pick up on your anxiety and it’s going to make him worry. Relax, love, trust Gaius.”

“I do,” Merlin whispered, and this time, he forced himself to believe his own words. His mother was right – as usual – this wouldn’t help Arthur. He took a deep breath and made the effort to calm himself down. His mother saw it and smiled at him before moving back. Gwaine shot him a sympathetic glance but didn’t say anything. They had never planned for what was supposed to happen now. Everything had been about finding Arthur, they never thought about what they should do when they got him. They had certainly never expected for him to be as nervous as he seemed to be.

When he heard his bedroom door open, however, Merlin realised it wasn’t just him who was desperately worried about Arthur. Both Gwaine and his mother leapt up at the same time as him, although Gwaine tried to pass it off by having a stretch. When Merlin caught his eye, he shrugged, a blush spreading over his face and causing his friend to grin. Gwaine was never going to admit how worried her was, but Merlin knew his friend too well. He could read in Gwaine’s actions that he wasn’t going to rest until they knew Arthur was okay.

Gaius could be heard shuffling slowly down the corridor and Merlin found himself frowning at how slow the man was moving. Even his mother couldn’t stop him this time as he moved forward. But the reason was soon made obvious at the five year old clutching onto Gaius’ hand with one hand and onto the bear with the other. His eyes were red but he looked relaxed. As soon as he saw Merlin, however, he let go of Gaius’ hand and ran at the warlock, almost mirroring the same way he had approached him at the hospital. Without even thinking about it, Merlin scooped him up, bear and all, and moved them back into the lounge. He sat back down where he had been and rested Arthur on his lap.

“You okay?” he asked the little boy gently, but really he was talking to Gaius. Gaius followed them in, ruffling Arthur’s hair.

“He’s just fine. Some of that wasn’t too nice and there were lots of questions. He has a very mild fever but that is nothing to worry about given the excitement he’s been through. Another night’s sleep and he’ll be as good as new.”

“And what about..?” Merlin glanced at the top of Arthur’s head and swallowed. He wasn’t sure there was a tactful way of asking about Arthur speaking, but the child didn’t seem to be paying any attention to the adults as he ran his fingers through the bear’s fur, leaning his head against Merlin’s shoulder. It was obvious he was tired again.

“He’ll get there. Once the nightmares stop, he’ll find a way to express what he is feeling.” Merlin blinked, wondering how Gaius knew about the nightmares if Arthur wasn’t saying anything. The old man simply smiled at him and the warlock nearly rolled his eyes. This wasn’t the first time Gaius had treated Arthur at this age, even if it had literally been a lifetime ago. He knew the boy better than Merlin did, he knew how to read the signs.

Arthur yawned and Merlin could tell by his movement that he was rubbing his eyes. Gently catching his hands, Merlin lowered them.

“You’ll make them sore,” he said gently. Arthur twisted in his grip, looking up at him with big eyes. Merlin knew what he wanted.

“Is he okay to nap?”

“For now. But not after four o’clock this afternoon. You need to try and regulate his sleep patterns.” Merlin nodded his understanding and made to stand up, but Hunith got there first. She didn’t give her son a chance to protest as she plucked Arthur off his lap and carried him down the hall. Merlin made to rise, only to catch a glimpse of Gaius’ face and knew the old man hadn’t finished yet.

“You’re going to have to use your magic on him, my boy.”

“Excuse me?” Out of all the things that Merlin had been expecting, that hadn’t been it. Gaius sighed.

“Only in a temporary way for now. He needs fresh air and sunshine, Merlin. He needs to be able to run around and play. But he’s also been in that hospital, in a sterile environment for however long. Just letting him outside, especially when he is this tired and already a little sick… his immune system won’t be able to handle it. You need to protect him, and then let the shield down a little bit at a time as he grows in strength. He may catch every cold under the sun for the next few weeks and if he is the same this lifetime, he’ll be a whiny little brat for a patient. But it has to happen for him to regain his strength.”

“I…” Merlin didn’t know what to say. Healing had never been his strong point and his magic wasn’t a touch on what it used to be. He wasn’t sure if he had the strength to protect Arthur in such a way, but Gaius was watching him expectantly.

“I’ll try,” he finished, his voice nothing more than a mumble. Gaius crossed the room and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I think you’ll be surprised what your magic will now do as it has its destiny to once again protect,” he murmured gently, nothing but reassurance in his voice. Merlin found he was smiling, albeit it shakily as he nodded his understanding. Gwaine stood up to show Gaius out and the physician nodded in gratitude.

“I’ll come by tomorrow to see how he is doing. I’ll pick up a few medicines you should have around if you are having a five year old in your flat. And Gwaine? Re-organise your room, there are certain things in there that should be out of Arthur’s reach.”

As Gwaine looked astonished, Merlin couldn’t help but laugh. He knew they would get there.

MMM

Merlin sighed, escaping into the hallway and running a hand through his hair. If he was honest, he was exhausted. They had had Arthur for four days now, and there had been a steady stream of people coming over to the flat in order to see their king. They had made sure it was never too many at once, not wanting to overwhelm the boy when he still wasn’t talking so they weren’t sure how much he remembered yet. But neither could they keep the people away with a clear conscience – they had been involved with helping to not only find Arthur but to get him out as well. Arthur seemed relaxed enough with them here and it tired him out, thus helping them to settle his sleeping patterns. Merlin had been up three nights out of the four soothing the little boy’s nightmares, but the night before had been different. Merlin hadn’t heard a thing – either mentally or out loud – until Gwaine had been clattering around in the kitchen. Arthur had managed to sleep the night through.

The change in him was overwhelming. His eyes looked bright and clear for the first time since Merlin had found him and he seemed to generally have more confidence. It was only when Leon had brought Morgana around that Arthur had looked to Merlin for comfort. Merlin had been there and Arthur had managed to face the witch who was once bent on destroying him. Merlin personally felt like it was the fact she was marrying Leon that allowed Arthur to overcome his fear. He knew the man who had once been his right-hand man was never going to get close to her if Morgana still meant him harm. There could be no denying that Arthur was still a little apprehensive around her, but it felt like the first step had been taken. He no longer looked terrified and tried to run away every time she approached. They just made sure either Leon or Merlin were there at the same time.

Merlin had seen the hurt in Morgana’s eyes when she realised that Arthur still couldn’t trust her, but she had managed to cover it up well. King or not, Arthur was still only five years old and Merlin knew there was no way he would be able to tell that she was just as nervous around him as he was her. After all, she had something to prove. She had once admitted that it had meant a lot when first Leon, then Merlin continued to accept her as one of them even when their memories had been returned, but it was Arthur who was the only one who could make her feel like she truly belonged.

It was Morgana and Leon who were over now. Knowing that Arthur was in safe hands with Leon, Merlin had escaped into the hallway for a moment to catch his breath. He hadn’t stopped for four days now and with constantly having to sort out Arthur, he was exhausted.

“Merlin?” Said warlock jumped. He hadn’t realised he had shut his eyes as he leant against the wall, but there was no way he had sensed Morgana approaching until her hand rested on his arm. Straightening up, Merlin attempted to grin. He knew within a split-second that Morgana wasn’t the slightest bit fooled and instead just sagged back again.

“You look exhausted.”

“He’s five. He’s a handful,” Merlin muttered. He knew that she would understand. He wouldn’t change anything for the world, not now they finally had Arthur back where he belonged. But that didn’t make it any easier looking after him. His mother had Gwaine’s room and Gwaine was on the sofa while Arthur and Merlin took his room. Everyone was tired.

“He looks better though.”

“He is. I still haven’t been able to pluck up the courage to take him out though.” Merlin had admitted to Morgana what Gaius had told him about Arthur’s immune system, wondering if she had any idea how to work their magic like that. He always acted on instinct these days, and wasn’t sure something like that could be left down to just trusting himself.

“You’ll get there. This is a big change for you as well as him,” Morgana’s voice was sympathetic. She had admitted she didn’t know what to do, but reiterated what Gaius had said about his magic working on its own now that it had Arthur to protect. After a moment, Morgana shifted, looking through to the lounge so she could watch Leon playing with Arthur. Merlin could sense she was trying to build up to saying something, something she wasn’t sure he would like. Eventually, he prompted her.

“When you do finally get Arthur outside, I think there is somewhere you should take him.”

“Where?”

Morgana seemed to be almost radiating nerves. She glanced back towards Arthur before facing Merlin head on. The warlock could see her visibly take a deep breath and she finally looked him straight in the eye.

“To see his father.”

“You’ve got to be joking!” Merlin only just remembered to keep his voice down, but couldn’t keep the incredulity from his tone. Morgana stared at him.

“Uther isn’t the bad guy in this story, Merlin. Not this time around. Do you mean to say that you want to keep Arthur from his father?”

“He’s in prison!”

“And they will let you take Arthur in as long as it all gets cleared properly. We got in, and there was no way Uther would have simply agreed to see us, he hated us. But I know you saw the desperation in his eyes as much as I did when he asked us to find Arthur. Do you think that was easy for him? Asking us to look out for his son? If he can swallow his pride to ask that, then you can swallow yours and take Arthur.”

“But…”

“Merlin, listen to me. It’s not your choice to make, but Arthur’s. Leon and I were talking about it last night… I know how Morgause’s mind works. It’s clear she hasn’t changed in this lifetime. She would have told Arthur that Uther didn’t want him, that he had sent him away. Uther himself told us how they took Arthur, the kid would have had no idea about what was going on. Don’t you think he needs to know the truth?”

“So we tell him.”

“Will he believe you?”

“Why would he not?”

He’s five, he won’t necessarily realise what a prison means, he won’t understand why Uther didn’t come for him. It doesn’t matter what they told him, he remained stuck in that place and that would be evidence enough for him that Uther didn’t love him. He needs to see his father, he needs to hear Uther say it. Not you, not me, not Morgause…Uther.”

“But…” Merlin found that he was moving away from the wall so that he could look at Arthur. The boy was playing contently with Leon but seemed to realise he was being watched. Looking up, he saw Merlin and smiled, waving. Merlin smiled back before pulling himself back around the corner.

“Fine, but we get him talking first.”

“Even Gaius doesn’t know how long that is going to take. Maybe seeing Uther will be what makes him find his voice again?” Morgana reasoned and Merlin found he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why was it now of all times she was speaking such logic? He knew deep down that she was right. Arthur had to be given the choice to see his father and the chance to understand once and for all what was happening. But that didn’t mean Merlin had to like it.

“Merlin… Uther’s in prison. He won’t be able to take Arthur from you again. I’m just asking you to give Arthur the chance to know that he is loved.”

Just like that, Merlin felt his arguments die in his throat. He nodded, knowing they had to do what was best for Arthur.

“But not just yet,” he muttered. “He’s only had one night of no nightmares and we need to get him used to the outside world first.”

“Fine.” Morgana seemed to back down gracefully and she began to move towards the lounge again, clearly intending to join her fiancée and the little boy who had once been their king. Merlin swallowed hard as she suddenly paused, one hand resting on the wall to look back at him. Morgana smiled gently, seeming to know how troubled he was by all of this.

“Don’t wait too long. You’ll only make it harder on yourself.”

With those words, she disappeared from Merlin’s sight again and the warlock found himself falling back against the wall. He knew he had no choice in this, not when Arthur’s happiness was at stake.

He just hated the idea – however selfishly - that Arthur might need someone other than him.


	12. Chapter 12

Merlin smiled reassuringly down at the little boy clinging anxiously to his hand. Arthur’s grip was tight and Merlin knew that no one would be able to prise him away right now. They were standing in the hallway of the flat, preparing to leave. It was the first time Arthur had left since arriving, and Merlin found himself glad he hadn’t told his destiny the night before. Considering how nervous Arthur looked, Merlin had a feeling it would have resulted in nightmares again if Arthur had been given the time to work himself up even more.

It had been four days since both Morgana and Gaius had pressed him to take Arthur outside. Although the warlock had been reluctant, Arthur had ultimately made the decision for him. That night have been plagued with nightmares again and, tired and grouchy, Merlin had taken himself out for a walk the next day just to get some air and clear his head. When he had returned, it was to find his mother trying to calm Arthur down, who had been adamant that something had happened to Merlin. It seemed the more he was beginning to relax, the more he was just acting like any other little boy rather than a king. How his mother had understood what had made Arthur so distressed considering he still wasn’t talking, Merlin had no idea. But he knew she was right when Arthur had immediately relaxed and then proceeded to fall asleep on Merlin’s lap once he had returned.

That had been when Merlin knew they had to get Arthur integrated back into reality as quickly as possible. Judging by the nightmares that had followed and the insights into Arthur’s mind that had allowed him, Merlin knew that Arthur simply wasn’t used to people going out. He might have only been in the hospital for a matter of months, but that seemed a lot longer to him given his young age than it would have for any of the rest of them. There, he had never been given the chance to simply go outside, and had never seen any of the patients do it either. Merlin knew they must have done, not everyone there was something to do with Morgause. But Arthur simply hadn’t seen people going outside unless they were never to return again.

The knowing look his mother had given him the next morning meant Merlin was aware that the decision must have been written all over his face. They were gentle with Arthur that morning, completely letting him take the lead about what he wanted to do rather than trying to enforce some sort of structure to his day to help him cope. When Arthur had finally gone down for a nap, Merlin had left Gwen in charge of his young destiny and gone shopping with his mother. They knew Arthur’s size better now and Merlin could see by the fond look on his mother’s face that shopping for a little child was making her remember times when life had been simple.

It wasn’t just clothes this time, but a few pairs of shoes as well. While they had guessed at Arthur’s size, Merlin had allowed his eyes to flare gold when Arthur tried them on later that day to make sure they fitted the child and were comfortable. He knew that Arthur would not only not say anything if they weren’t, but he also wouldn’t give any sign that he was uncomfortable. The child had been so pleased with the trainers in particular it had almost turned into a battle to get them off him to go to bed. The night had passed without any nightmares and Merlin knew the day had come to take the Once and Future King on a small walk.

But of course, nothing was that straight forward. They had absolutely no idea if Morgause had managed to track them down at all. Rather than just taking Arthur out, Merlin had let Leon and Morgana go for a stroll half an hour before they left. The knights were scattered around the neighbourhood wherever the main roads met and Gwen and Lancelot had planned a romantic walk that happened to make them leave from Merlin’s flat twenty minutes after Merlin had gone. If there was any sign of anyone around, they were all in contact with each other and word would be sent immediately.

They had spent far too long trying to get Arthur back to lose him now.

But Merlin found that he was putting the others from his mind as he crouched down in front of Arthur, managing to slide his hand free so he could do the little boy’s coat up for him and turned up his collar, knowing there was a cool breeze blowing. Arthur was watching every movement he made, eyes wide and nerves almost radiating from him.

“Ready?” Merlin murmured gently, offering his hand out again but staying on eye level with Arthur. The boy gave the door a worried glance before nodding and taking Merlin’s hand again. Merlin reached for the door, stopping and centring his magic even as he pulled it open. That was why the others were needed. He wouldn’t be able to protect Arthur from anything physical, he wasn’t strong enough. Not whilst he was focusing on keeping a shield over the boy to make sure he wasn’t instantly exposed to every single germ out that. Gaius had told him to make sure he allowed a few through, the whole idea was to build up Arthur’s immune system. Hunith was already making some soup for lunch with a barrage of hot drinks lined up for when they got in. They could still help Arthur fight off anything, Gaius hadn’t said anything about that.

Satisfied the shield was in place, Merlin pulled open the door and instantly felt Arthur recoil slightly. He made sure he had a firm hold of the boy’s hand and encouraged him to take a step forward. Arthur seemed to almost freeze when he reached the threshold and it took Merlin a few moments before he could coax him over it. Part of him just wanted to pick Arthur up, knowing that once he was out, he would be fine. But he knew that would get them nowhere and so just waited patiently as Arthur finally took a timid step forward, then another.

Merlin offered a small amount of praise, knowing that while they had to encourage Arthur, they couldn’t make too much of a big deal out of something they wanted to become the norm for him. Arthur kept himself pressed himself into Merlin’s side as they slowly moved down the street, almost as if he was trying to hide behind Merlin’s legs with every step. Merlin let go of his hand and draped his arm over Arthur’s shoulders, allowing the boy to take the comfort from the action. He knew this was a big thing for Arthur.

They hadn’t been walking for long when some of the tension seemed to leave Arthur’s body. He moved away from Merlin, once again taking his hand as he began to look around him. He seemed particularly fascinated by the flowers bobbing happily in the morning sun in one of the gardens and Merlin – with a quick glance to make sure no one was watching out of their window – let him brush his fingers along the petals. Arthur’s face almost immediately lit up and Merlin felt his heart lift. Arthur beamed, giggling when he accidentally walked through a puddle and the water splashed over his feet. He glanced up at Merlin, worry in his eyes as he clearly expected to be told off, but Merlin just grinned and ruffled his hair, deliberately stamping in the next puddle himself.

After twenty minutes, Arthur started slowly down. Merlin didn’t need to ask, he knew the boy had worn himself out. Arthur wasn’t used to moving around this much, not to mention the nerves and excitement that had accompanied them on the trip. Merlin smiled gently and lifted the boy into his arms. Arthur’s own arms instantly snaked around his neck and his head rested on Merlin’s shoulder even as his legs wound around the warlock’s waist.

“Let’s go home,” Merlin murmured gently, feeling Arthur nod against him. But even as he walked back the way they had just come, Merlin found that he was smiling. Arthur had taken the first steps – literally – into the world he had once been used to before the memories had caught up with them. Merlin knew it was going to be a long battle before he was back to being the little boy that had been with his father before all of this happened. But knowing they had him safe and everything was going to get there eventually, Merlin simply smiled and let his cheek rest against the top of Arthur’s head as he carried him home.

Arthur was asleep in his arms before he had halved the distance.

-x-

Merlin soon found that he was losing track of the days. They just seemed to blend into one another, all of his attention focused on slowly getting Arthur used to his surroundings again. They were managing daily walks now and he was even managing to stay awake for the entire thing now. The fresh air was certainly doing him good; his eyes were brighter and they discovered he had a mischievous streak. Merlin was the main victim, finding things being moved just out of his reach as he stretched for them at the table despite him being the one to put them within reach to start with. Arthur would simply smile at him and Merlin realised precisely why they had brought Hunith into help. He couldn’t even pretend to be mad at Arthur when he grinned like that, and often resorted to using magic to bring whatever it was back towards him.

The first few days, Arthur had seemed wary and Merlin found the nerves of another lifetime making themselves known again. But then the child had just settled down again and they came to the conclusion it was simply because he had been with Morgause and her magic for too long. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust magic these days, he just needed the reminder that it wasn’t going to hurt him.

But still Arthur had yet to talk.

Gaius came around almost every other day, and Merlin knew that he was only using checking Arthur’s health as an excuse. Just like the rest of them, he too wanted to see how their king was progressing. Arthur overcame his fear, often running to meet Gaius at the door whenever he knew it was the old man arriving and smiling shyly up at him. Gaius was always quite to reassure them that Arthur was in good health and no one could deny that the boy seemed happy enough, but he still hadn’t found the courage to let words cross his lips.

After a few days of no nightmares and tricks being played on him, Merlin was beginning to get the feeling that Morgana had been right. They couldn’t wait for Arthur to start speaking before going to see Uther, not if that was what was going to be the catalyst to get the child going. They had both heard him speak, they knew he could. But Merlin couldn’t understand why Arthur still wouldn’t and he knew they had to give him the best chance they could. They had to take him to see his father.

They had just cleared up from breakfast and Arthur was playing with Gwaine. Merlin had yet to figure out the rules of the game, but he had a feeling it was just nothing more than a glorified pillow fight. The way the two seemed to have a complex scoring system going on, Merlin wondered if it was something from their old life, something the knights had done that he hadn’t understood even back then. All he knew and cared about was that Arthur was smiling and Gwaine was acting just as much of a child as the five year old.

That had been when he had called Morgana, and made sure that he had been waiting in the hallway for her so she didn’t knock and alert Arthur to the fact they were up to something. Morgana had taken one look at him and glanced through to where Gwaine had clearly been told to distract the young king before sighing, folding her arms.

“You want to do it, don’t you?”

“No.” Merlin replied honestly, a trace of a smile on his face as he watched Gwaine roll out of the way of Arthur’s pillow. He leant against the wall.

“I just don’t feel like we have a choice. He still hasn’t spoken. Who knows what Morgause told him about Uther while he was there. We owe it to him to at least see his father. Can you arrange it?”

“Yes.” Morgana was watching him closely and Merlin tried not to shift under the gaze. “You know it was you he needed and wanted, right? It was you he was screaming for. This won’t change anything.”

“I know,” Merlin sighed again, watching Arthur. “It’s selfish of me not to want Arthur to go, but after everything Uther put him through in Camelot… he wasn’t exactly a father to him then. I don’t want him to let Arthur down again, not now.”

“You can’t judge Uther on then,” Morgana said quietly and Merlin found himself blinking in surprise. She had been there; she had seen how the old king had addressed them. He had been less than happy about who his visitors were. But then, suddenly, Merlin realised where Morgana was going with this. Uther had realised they were his last chance at saving Arthur and had practically begged them to make sure his son was safe. Uther had been Arthur’s father in this lifetime before their memories had returned, the chances were that he was totally different around his son this time.

“How soon can you set the meeting up?”

“Day after tomorrow if we’re lucky. Have the others found anything on Elena yet?”

“No, but they can’t just ask around casually, we can’t give Morgause any sort of clue as to where we are and that would give it away. The chances are she is looking for us, we have to keep Arthur safe.”

Morgana agreed, moving so she could watch Arthur playing for a moment. Merlin could see the deep sorrow within her and knew she was thinking about how she had wronged him in their past. Arthur was just beginning to come to terms with her.

“You can’t come with us,” Merlin muttered softly, knowing the reaction before Morgana turned to him, eyes flashing. He shrugged.

“Uther still doesn’t like you and Arthur is only just beginning to trust you. If you and Uther have a clash of tempers, what is Arthur supposed to think? How will he know who to trust?”

Morgana nodded her understanding, but Merlin could see that she didn’t like it.

“I’ll set up the meeting.”

As quietly as she had arrived, Morgana let herself out of the flat. For a long moment, Merlin couldn’t move. Instead, he just sagged against the wall and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to process his thoughts. He just wanted to do what was best for Arthur, but he didn’t really know what that was. He had always known what to do since his memories returned; find the Once and Future King. Now it was almost as if that purpose was over and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

A small hand slipping into his drew him from his musings and Merlin glanced down to see Arthur watching him with a worried expression. His free hand stroked Merlin’s arm reassuringly, almost as if he could sense the worry in the man. Merlin smiled gently down at him and Arthur threw his arms around Merlin’s legs. Gently crouching down, Merlin gave him a proper hug, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. After a moment, Arthur drew back, staring at Merlin for a long moment as if he was truly working out for himself whether his friend was okay or not. Whatever he saw must have been enough for Arthur offered a cute half-shrug that Merlin had never seen him do before and pulled Merlin into the lounge.

If his mind hadn’t been so distracted, Merlin would have realised that something was going on by the way that Gwaine was nowhere to be seen and Arthur’s eyes had had a small glint in them when he dragged his destiny through. But the thought didn’t even cross his mind – too distracted by other things - until Arthur suddenly had a pillow in his hands and threw it as hard as he could at Merlin. At the same time, Gwaine leapt out from behind the sofa, tackling his best friend to the floor. The man was gentle, but Merlin caught his eye for long enough to know to play along and pretended to be toppled, letting out an indignant yelp as he did so. Arthur and Gwaine proceeded to pelt him with pillows until Arthur plonked himself happily in the middle of Merlin’s stomach, effectively trapping him before bringing his pillow crashing down over Merlin’s head.

Knowing Arthur had just wordlessly declared war, Merlin allowed a pillow to soar into his outstretched hand with just a glow of his eyes and threw it over Arthur’s head at Gwaine. As Arthur watched the flight with wide eyes, Merlin looped an arm around Arthur’s middle and let the fingers on the opposite hand seek out the king’s ribs.

When Hunith came back in half an hour later, all three boys were in a heap in the middle of the floor, breathless with laughter while cushions and pillows alike were scattered across the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Merlin had tried to explain three times that morning to Arthur where it was they were going. The first had been his fault, he had told the king while Arthur had been distracted with having breakfast and by the time they got the five year old cleaned up again, Arthur seemed to have forgotten the conversation that had been taking place at the same time. But the second and third, Merlin had just found that he simply hadn’t known what to say. All they had was Uther’s word that he hadn’t done anything wrong, and while it made sense for Cendred to be behind the whole thing in order to get hold of Arthur, that didn’t necessarily mean Uther was totally innocent in this life. Merlin simply didn’t trust him enough to just take his word on it and had no idea what he was trying to tell Arthur.

When Morgana had arrived with Leon in tow – the latter having agreed to watch a match with Gwaine as an attempt at some sort of normality – Merlin still hadn’t managed to tell Arthur where they were going. Leon simply looked around and knew what the situation was the second he had arrived and had taken Arthur’s hand and drawn him off into one corner. Merlin had stayed where he was and simply watched as Leon had crouched down until he was at Arthur’s level and gently explained in less than five minutes what Merlin had been trying to say all morning. Arthur looked worried; nervous even. But Merlin had made sure that he had smiled reassuringly at him, a wordless promise that everything was going to be alright.

Arthur might not have been talking, but they had begun to learn enough about his behaviour to know that he wasn’t entirely happy with where they were going. Initially, Merlin hadn’t been able to figure it out, believing that Arthur would have been thrilled to see his father. During the knights when he had been screaming for Merlin subconsciously, the warlock had also heard that Arthur was calling for his father, despite Uther not having been able to receive the message in the same way that Merlin had. Arthur wanted Uther, yet now he was given the chance at just that, he was kicking up a fuss.

Merlin knew he had deliberately tipped the drink over so that it soaked him, and then run off when Merlin had tried to get him changed. All it took was one stern look from Hunith and Arthur had come sheepishly back again. Merlin had been hard pushed not to laugh, secretly glad to see more of the Arthur he had known emerging, but cursing the fact Arthur had allowed it to emerge now when they actually had to be somewhere at a specific time. He would have gone along with Arthur’s antics and stayed in the flat had it been up to him, but the combined glares of both Morgana and Hunith had forced him to ignore Arthur’s wriggling and just to get him dressed again. Then, of course, Arthur couldn’t find his shoes and seemed to be more interested in sitting on the floor than looking for them. Gwaine had seen through that one, lifting Arthur up and revealing that he was actually sitting on the shoes, but it was another delay they couldn’t quite afford to have.

Ironically, it had been Morgana who had managed to figure out what was going on in Arthur’s head and so get through to the little boy. They knew Arthur must have been told something when he had first arrived at the hospital about why he was there, and Morgana had accidentally stumbled on exactly what – they had told Arthur that his father didn’t want him anymore. Once they knew what the problem was, they were quick to reassure the child, but Arthur refused to let go of Merlin’s hand as they finally left the flat and the warlock found himself in the back of the car with Morgana driving.

Arthur completely buried himself in Merlin’s side during the journey, but the tension began to leave his body as he dozed off, this being the longest he had been out of the flat for since arriving. Merlin hadn’t realised that his hand had been calmingly stroking Arthur’s hair until he had caught Morgana’s gaze in the mirror and flushed. He knew that it wasn’t lost on either of them that he didn’t stop, however. Arthur was at peace and calm when they were like this and there was no way that he was going to do anything to cause the little boy to lose that feeling.

But the journey wasn’t nearly as long as Merlin would have liked it to be and before all too soon, he was having to gently shake Arthur awake and help him out of the car. As soon as Arthur saw the imposing grey building looming over them, he had burst into tears and tried to pull away from Merlin. At that moment in time, Merlin knew full well Arthur wasn’t thinking like the king from long ago, but just as a scared little boy. The last time he had seen a building like that, he then hadn’t been outside for however long it had been.

It took the pair of them a good twenty minutes before Arthur had calmed down enough for them to reassure him that nothing was going to happen. Morgana had been forced to run inside and tell them that they were here but were having issues while Merlin slowly walked Arthur inside. The security process they had been subjected too before took even longer as Arthur wouldn’t let go of Merlin’s hand, but luckily the guard who had greeted them was good at his job and this was clearly not the first upset child he had had to deal with. It took time, but was as stress free as any of them could hope for and they were taken into the same room as before.

Merlin had still been trying to encourage him into the room when the door behind them opened. With one hand held out to Arthur, the warlock found himself turned as Uther was brought into the room. He looked worse than before and Merlin knew why. It must have been killing him to know that there were people actively looking for his son and he was stuck in here without being able to help in the slightest. In the time it took for Merlin to lock eyes with the old king, Arthur had latched back onto his hand again.

“Arthur?” Even shackled into the chair again, Uther could still sound intimidating when he wanted to. But Merlin knew it didn’t matter how much he didn’t like the man, there could be no denying the affection in his voice as he glanced through the divider at the five year old clinging onto Merlin’s hand. Merlin glanced down to find Arthur watching his father with wide eyes, chewing on his lip.

“He hasn’t exactly been talkative ever since we got him out and we think they might have told him that you had given him up.” Morgana explained in a hushed whisper. Merlin heard her, but he wasn’t sure Arthur did. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to anything other than the man sat across the room from him. His mouth opened and for a heart stopping moment, Merlin truly thought he was about to say something until he snapped it shut again and tightened his grip on Merlin’s hand.

“It’s okay, Arthur. We can go across now if you want?” Merlin smiled gently as Arthur turned the wide eyed expression onto the warlock, but very softly nodded.

“Come on then…” Making sure he kept hold of Arthur’s hand, Merlin slowly began inching him across the room. As soon as Arthur was clear of the door, the exasperated guard finally managed to shut it behind them and the noise made Arthur jumped. His free arm wrapped awkwardly around Merlin’s legs and for a moment, the warlock thought he was actually going to fall over. Morgana must have caught his silent plea for help as she moved forward and gently took Arthur’s other hand, but it was Uther who had truly drawn Merlin’s attention. There was an expression of fondness on his face as he watched Arthur’s antics, and Merlin suddenly had an image of a completely different Arthur. This child, in this world, but trying to silently protest against going to bed by simply clinging onto his father so that Uther found movement hard. He wasn’t sure if it was his magic showing him an image of something that had happened or whether it was just a thought flickering through his mind, but it was enough to make him realise that Arthur did need his father, even if Merlin didn’t like it.

Eventually, they managed to walk Arthur across the room to the divider. As soon as he got there, Arthur pulled free of them and clambered up onto one of the chairs waiting for them. He immediately twisted until he was kneeling on it and reached for his father.

Merlin was sure that even Uther – separated from them – would have heard his heart break when Arthur’s small hands came into contact with the sheet of glass separating them from his father. He pressed against it before turning beseeching eyes onto Merlin. The warlock knew what he wanted.

“I’m sorry, Arthur, there is nothing I can do.” Technically he did have the magic to break the screen, but he knew that would get them nowhere. Uther was tugging at the handcuffs binding him to the chair, frustration on his face when he had no way of reaching towards his son.

“Please…” Morgana’s voice was a small plea as she looked towards the guard standing on Uther’s side, and Merlin knew that she was feeling this as much as he was. The guard looked between them, but seemed to realise all of their attention was focused on the five year old boy and he sighed. Muttering something under his breath that Merlin didn’t catch but was adamant he could guess it was something to do with the man complaining it was more than his job’s worth, he moved forward and pulled out a small key. Within seconds, Uther had his hands free and instantly pressed his own against the glass the other side of Arthur’s. It only made the boy look even smaller.

“Are you alright, son?” Uther asked softly and Arthur nodded. Uther’s hand stayed pressed against the glass as Arthur miserably pulled back and one finger began tracing the outline of his father’s hand. Merlin moved forward, resting a hand momentarily on Arthur’s shoulder before sinking into one of the other seats.

“It was Cendred,” he murmured softly, making sure that Uther could hear him but not letting the anger make itself apparent in his voice. Judging by the way Uther looked at him almost approvingly, Merlin could tell the anger was still burning brightly out of his eyes. If it was one thing that he did now share in common with the ex-tyrant, it was the need to keep Arthur safe.

“He was working with Morgause. They were… well, I don’t really know they were after.”

“They were using Arthur as bait to get Merlin in order to strip his magic.” Morgana supplied, offering Merlin a shrug when he glanced at her in confusion. She had never precisely said what had happened in there, they had all been too busy with Arthur. “Then I think she was going to adopt him.”

Both Uther and Merlin gave spontaneous shudders at the thought.

“Are they dead?”

Arthur let out a soft gasp at his father’s words, looking up from where his hand had still been tracing patterns around Uther’s.

“No,” there was a warning note in Morgana’s voice as she stroked Arthur’s hair soothingly, coaxing the child to go back to doing what he had been. Merlin smiled. It was the first time that Arthur had let himself be comforted by Morgana. Uther seemed to deflate as he watched the action and Merlin knew he was being forcibly reminded that he couldn’t be the one performing it.

“Arthur, look at me.”

Arthur reacted to his father’s voice, automatically reaching for him again before remembering that he couldn’t.

“I love you, son.”

Merlin had to bite his lip to stop the tears flooding his eyes. That had not been something the king would have ever said to his son, and it was just another reminder that Uther had been Arthur’s father in this life before they realised they had done it before. Arthur gently pressed his hand against the glass again and no one needed him to speak to know that he was telling Uther he loved him too.

“You’re going to need to stay with Morgana for a while, is that okay?” Arthur twisted, one hand standing on the glass while the other reached for Merlin. Uther rolled his eyes.

“Yes, and the boy as well. You’re going to stay with them and they will look after you while I can’t, do you understand? They’ll keep you safe.” Arthur nodded, clinging onto Merlin’s top but not looking away from his father.

“They’re going to take really good care of you.” Merlin knew that it wasn’t just a reassurance for Arthur, but a warning to them. If they didn’t, no prison was going to stop Uther. Morgana’s answering glare indicated that the message had been received and understood, but the arrival of the guard their side indicated that their time was up. Arthur seemed to realise and he put both hands back on the glass, pressing at it desperately. Morgana hushed him gently, picking Arthur up yet being unable to hide her smile as he wrapped his arms around her neck and hid his face in the hair following over her shoulder. As she moved out, Uther called Merlin back.

“Are you going after them?” The affection was gone from Uther’s voice and he sounded cold. Merlin didn’t flinch, but nodded. He knew what Leon had said, how they had to be careful how they did this in order to make sure that Arthur didn’t have his trust in them destroyed. But there was no way he was going to let them get away with what they had done to his king, not considering that Arthur still wasn’t talking. He just hoped this visit had reassured Arthur that his father loved him.

Uther watched him for a long moment before seeming to sigh. It was a judgemental look, one that made Merlin feel as if the man was weighing him up and working out whether he was up to the task ahead or not.

“Do you think you will be able to locate what they did with our belongings when I was arrested? I have a feeling Cendred might have taken what he could just to mock me further. Could you find the rest?”

“Probably. Why?” Merlin knew without a doubt that he would be able to find the rest of Uther’s belongings without an issue. But he didn’t want the man to know that until he knew precisely what it was that he was after.

“If you do, there is something important that will help you with your task.”

“What?” Merlin couldn’t keep the suspicion out of his voice; he had never heard Uther sound like this before. The man’s guard was moving forward and Merlin knew that if Uther didn’t answer now, he would just be left curious. To his relief, however, Uther looked him straight in the eye.

“A soft toy dragon. It’s green. His mother made it for him when he was born and Arthur never used to let it out of his sight.”

Merlin gasped slightly, but Uther was already being pulled from the room before he could answer. Merlin knew that the man would know what his answer would be, however. He would have known that he didn’t need to ask when it came to making sure that Merlin took care of Arthur.

The warlock knew he would rather die than let anything happen to Arthur again.

Sighing, he left the room, nodding his thanks to the guard and finding Morgana leaning against the wall, Arthur still in her arms. Merlin wordlessly held out his hands and took the young boy. Arthur instantly twisted until he could hide away again in Merlin’s neck and the warlock found his hand brushing up and down reassuringly over the boy’s back again.

“Let’s go home,” he muttered, feeling exhausted. Arthur let out a sniff and Merlin drew back from him slightly.

“Hey,” he said softly, brushing Arthur’s tears away. “It’s going to be alright, I promise.”

Arthur nodded, hiccupping before hiding away again. Merlin knew that the boy understood and took in his words, he just wasn’t ready to enact upon them just yet. He needed to be like every other five year old who couldn’t be with his father than he wanted to.

Merlin was quiet as he let Morgana lead the way back to the car and for the whole way home. So was she. He knew they were both probably thinking about the same thing – mainly, Arthur – but both were keeping their thoughts to themselves as Arthur calmed down a little and took to staring out of the window with his eyes going wide again as he watched the countryside flash past.

It was only when they drew up in front of the flat that Merlin truly felt his heart sink. He had been hoping the trip to see Uther would have given Arthur the confidence he needed in order to start talking again. But the boy had yet to utter a word and this time, Merlin was completely out of ideas in regards to how to make him talk. He guessed they just had to hope that Arthur would get there by himself.


	14. Chapter 14

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

Merlin jumped from where he had been trying to open the front door silently, spinning around and offering his mother his best winning smile. The rising of her eyebrow as she looked at him sternly made Merlin realise he had absolutely no way of talking himself out of this one. It didn’t help that he was dressed entirely in black, even a black hat pulled down almost to his eyes. He was the very definition of someone up to something, but that didn’t stop him from attempting to charm his way out of trouble.

“For a walk?”

“Dressed like that, I don’t think so. Don’t make me ask again, Merlin.”

Just like that, Merlin crumpled. He couldn’t lie to her, but he couldn’t just stay here and doing nothing. Arthur had been tired and emotional all day, bursting into tears nearly every time they tried to talk to him. Merlin knew it was because of Uther, knew that taking the boy to see his father had truly made Arthur realise that Uther had never given him up in the way that Morgause had claimed. They had taken him away from his home.

Merlin had thought that Arthur’s fear was beginning to edge away now that he knew that he was safe. But somehow, knowing that Morgause had managed to get hold of him even when his father had been around had relighted that fear and Merlin had once again been kept awake by Arthur’s mental screams as the boy believed that she was going to come for him again. It didn’t seem to matter how much Merlin promised that he would never let anything happen to the little boy, Arthur was terrified.

Merlin had called Gaius first thing in the morning, but the old man had admitted that this might be a good thing. When Arthur calmed down and moved on, he would be doing it for good. He would be getting over what had happened now he knew all of the facts. But the broken night meant that Arthur had been grumpy and irritable. He might not have had his voice, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find other ways of showing his displeasure. Merlin might have laughed at the way Arthur had started throwing things in exactly the same manner as the king had until he realised that his mother had fully expected him to discipline the little boy and make Arthur aware that he wasn’t a king right now and he was expected to behave. Merlin had simply stared at the tears running down Arthur’s face and Hunith had been forced to do it for him.

But while Arthur was sent to his –Merlin’s- room, the warlock knew they had to do something. He couldn’t take Arthur being like this, not when they had just begun to make progress. So while his mother scolded Arthur, Merlin crept into the room, pulled out his darkest clothes and darted into the bathroom to change. He had hoped she would still be in there when he got to the door so he could make a clean break for it.

It appeared his mother was quicker than he had given her credit for.

“Merlin, I asked you where you were going.”

“There is something I need to do,” Merlin murmured, playing with a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Is it dangerous?”

He shook his head. “I just need to go and get something.”

“Something, I’m guessing by your attire, that doesn’t belong to you?” This time, Merlin mutely nodded, not being able to meet his mother’s gaze. He knew that he had changed since their memories returned. He was no longer her little boy, but a warlock with a destiny once more. She had never really seen him like that, not even back in Camelot. Mainly due to the fact that he was in Camelot and her still in Ealdor, but he knew it must be hard for her to simply accept that Merlin was not going to do as she asked any more, not if he thought that he was acting in Arthur’s best interest.

“And is it dangerous, acquiring this object?”

“I don’t think so.”

“And is the object dangerous?”

“Not to us.”

“Then…”

“With any luck, it will be to Morgause.”

“Merlin…”

“Please, Mother. Just let me do this. I promise I will be careful and safe, there is no reason to suspect that this is going to go wrong. I doubt it will even be guarded, but I have to try.”

“Where are you going, love?” Hunith stepped forward, reaching for his hand. Merlin gave her a moment before gently pulling it away.

“It’s better if you don’t know, it means you can’t get hurt.” With those words, he pulled open the door and darted into the evening air. He knew that she wouldn’t try and follow him; no one else was in and they needed someone to be there for the now sleeping Arthur. But it was because no one else was in that Merlin knew he had to try this now. He didn’t have time for them to try and start planning to come with him and how they were going to handle this operation, but he didn’t have the heart to tell them that they couldn’t be involved. No one else – not even Morgana – had heard Uther’s final words to him, no one would know where he was going.

Despite his reassurances to his mother, Merlin found that he was almost cloaking himself in his magic. If they had been back in Camelot, he would have been able to shield himself entirely, making him pass by unnoticed, but his power didn’t have that kind of strength any more. He was still visibly and detectable, there was just an aura surrounding him that made people pay him no attention.

Merlin moved quickly, not particularly wanting the others to try and come out after him. Uther had revealed the location of where they had lived and any storage units around the area that he believed Morgause might have had access to and Merlin knew that was where he had to start. He broke into a jog, feeling the irony that Arthur had lived so close to him while they hadn’t known who he was. It still took Merlin twenty minutes of steady running until he pulled into a much nicer neighbourhood than his own.

Merlin slowed to a walk, acutely aware of how much suspicion he would arouse if anyone were to even glance out of their windows. This was a nice place, and a young man skulking around wearing black was going to draw attention, even with his spell. Taking cover behind a large bush, Merlin relaxed himself and let the magic stretch out. He didn’t need a spell for this. His magic had been created to aid his destiny and when Arthur was involved, the power seemed to automatically intensify in a way that Merlin didn’t understand. They might not have been there for months, but a tugging sensation in his gut made him automatically know which house had belonged to the Pendragons.

Deciding that was a good a starting place as any, Merlin ran swiftly from the bush and darted towards the house. There was a feeling of coldness coming from it and Merlin shivered. It looked to be abandoned and he wondered how many people on this well-to-do street knew what had really happened the night their neighbour was arrested for murder. Merlin climbed over the fence and dropped into the back garden, his magic reaching out and gently unlocking the door. Just as he stretched out a hand towards it, Merlin stopped.

There was an unpleasant tingling sensation running down his spine. Merlin knew to ignore his instincts would be the most stupid thing he could do so he forced his hand away from the door, closed his eyes and stretched out with the magic. The shock he got back was so severe that Merlin was almost thrown from his feet, but he knew it meant he couldn’t open the door. Where Morgause had found a spell that strong, Merlin didn’t want to know. There were ways of enhancing their power – dark ways. It wasn’t permanent, but the fact she had branched out along those lines already made Merlin shudder. They had been lucky it had been Morgana that had gone in that day, he might not have made it out again.

But with a power that strong guarding the door, Merlin knew it wasn’t an option. He wasn’t sure what the spell did, but he knew that it would alert Morgause to him being here. Whether the witch was coming for him or not, Merlin knew he couldn’t risk it. There was no way he could risk her finding Arthur again.

Backing up, he stretched up with his magic. A small window effortlessly swung open and Merlin grinned. She had only had enough magic to guard the doors, the rest of the house was open to him.

How Merlin managed to get himself up to the window, he had no idea. Somehow, he managed to balance on the edge of the fence and basically jump, catching the window sill with his fingertips and managing to scramble up. Considering his usual clumsiness (something the life times had not changed), he knew it was because the magic must have wanted him to get into the house and so aided him in doing just that. Now Merlin was more glad than ever that he had gone without the others, for he wasn’t sure that any of the rest of them would have been able to fit through the window.

Dropping into a tight crouch, Merlin gaped as he looked around him. It seemed that Uther had still lived in the ways of kings even when he didn’t have his memories. Merlin had known by the neighbourhood that they must have had money, but this was absurd. He had landed in a bathroom and Merlin honestly believed that he would be able to fit his whole flat into it. He took a moment just to marvel, running his fingers along the smooth marble, cool under his touch.

A noise from further down the street reminded him precisely where he was and Merlin snatched his hand back, sneaking to the door. He let his magic stretch out first, making sure that Morgause hadn’t left any other surprises for him. He had been right in thinking she only had the power for the doors, however, for the rest of the house was clean. The thought reassured him, allowing him to relax and remind himself that he was still more powerful than she was.

He stole along the corridor, trying to resist the urge to take his shoes off and let his toes scrunch in the thick carpet underfoot. But although the house was luxurious, there were also signs everywhere that no one had been here for months. There was a thick layer of dust over everything and the air was cold, almost stale from where there had been no air. Merlin crept along and his arm brushed against a photo. Unable to stop himself, Merlin used his sleeve to wipe the dust off and found his breath caught.

It was Arthur.

Arthur and his mother, something that Merlin had never seen before. The woman was beautiful, her golden hair and blue eyes a reminder that everyone had always said that Arthur looked like her. In her arms was cradled a small baby, but Arthur had his eyes open and was smiling. Merlin felt his breath catch as tears stung at the corners of his eyes, wondering what had happened to Igraine in this lifetime. He knew that it would be her; even without their memories their love had been too strong for Uther to have fallen for someone else.

“I’ll keep him safe, I swear,” Merlin found himself whispering, putting the photo back and continuing along the hallway. His heart was beating fast and for the first time, he truly understood Arthur’s reluctance to talk. He had been torn from his life and thrust into a world that he didn’t understand, even with having memories of a king coming back to him. Merlin had always thought it was good they were remembering, but right now, he wanted to take that away from Arthur. No five year old should have to deal with the memories of an adult, let alone a king.

His magic guided him past several doors until Merlin was pushing one open. The magic almost went wild at the sheer amount of Arthur in the room and Merlin was almost dropped to his knees by the intensity. He placed a hand on the doorframe to steady himself and looked around, tears filling his eyes. Arthur had just been an ordinary five year old boy. His bed wasn’t even made from the night he had slipped from his bed to see what all the noise was about. Merlin could see Arthur in every corner of the room – the heap of toys in one corner showing he must have been happy while a set of books balanced on a shelf. Merlin moved across to them, his fingers brushing the spines and smiling sadly when he realised they were all about knights and dragons. Fairy tales, but ones that Arthur could relate to.

After a moment, Merlin forced himself to remember about the task at hand. He quickly moved to the toys, but only a glance showed him that he was not going to find what he was looking for. Merlin turned slowly, thinking hard about where Arthur would put his most treasured toy. Thinking about how the boy had clutched the bear to his chest, Merlin moved across to the bed. He flicked back the covers, and sure enough, there was a little green dragon sitting in the bed. He could see that it had been well loved, but he could also see a mother’s love that had gone into making it.

Merlin snatched it up, securing it in his jacket and sped from the room. He had dawdled too long, he needed to get out of here before anyone realised there was movement in the abandoned house. He moved back through to the bathroom – after ending up in a different one to start with and wondering just how many rooms this house had – and wriggled through the window. He let his magic guide him to the ground, but still landed heavily and had to roll to break his fall. Cursing at his lack of power, he made sure the window was shut and crept along to the fence.

He had to hold back for a few moments while a couple walking their dog meandered past the house, but as soon as the coast was clear, Merlin vaulted the fence and set off at a run. He didn’t stop moving until he was bursting back through his front door and shutting it behind him. It was only a glimpse of the toy stuffed down his jacket that stopped Merlin from slamming the door in his success, not being sure whether Arthur was asleep or not. His mother still heard him, instantly appearing and staring at him in disapproval.

“I trust you got what you were after?” Merlin flinched at the cool tone to her voice but nodded.

“I did.”

“And you also said it wasn’t dangerous to us. Who is it dangerous to then?”

“Morgause with any luck.”

“Merlin, so help me, if you’ve gone and got a weapon of sorts…”

“Of sorts,” Merlin smiled gently as he interrupted her, pulling the dragon out of his coat. His mother’s words died in her throat as she simply stared.

“Uther told me about it. It’s his favourite. I’m hoping it will prove dangerous to Morgause because I’m really hoping it is enough for Arthur to truly realise that he is safe.”

Merlin could count on one hand the amount of times he had rendered his mother speechless, but this was one of them. To his surprise, there were tears in her eyes as she moved forward, kissing him on the forehead before smacking him around the head.

“I’ll make you some tea,” she sniffed, moving towards the kitchen. Merlin shook his head in bemusement before slipping his shoes off and stealing towards his own bedroom. He knew the second he opened the door that Arthur was awake, but the little boy was curled up miserably, buried under the covers.

“Arthur?” Merlin moved across the room and put his hand on the lump, finding him trembling. He sighed.

“Arthur, there is someone here to see you.” Merlin didn’t need to see Arthur to know by the action that he was shaking his head furiously. Arthur had no intention of coming out from under the covers. Merlin took hold of the dragon and began making a show of it digging through the covers. Rather than simply pushing it under, he made it look like the dragon was tunnelling through. He reached Arthur’s back and nuzzled the dragon into it, but Arthur pulled away. Rolling his eyes at how hard the five year old was making this, Merlin tried to get the dragon to climb over Arthur, but it was hard when he couldn’t see what he was doing and his hand was stuck under the covers. He dropped it when it reached Arthur’s front and heard an intake of breath.

“’Thusa!”

Before Merlin could comprehend what was happening, his arms were full of Arthur and the dragon again. But as Arthur started echoing Merlin’s actions by making the dragon climb up him, Merlin could only think of one thing. He had been right in thinking it was a weapon against Morgause.

As the dragon was plonked unceremoniously on his head and Arthur giggled, Merlin felt a wide smile spread across his face.

Arthur had spoken.

 


	15. Chapter 15

“Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin!”

Said warlock groaned, stuffing the pillow over his head. Now Arthur had started talking, Merlin was seriously considering using magic to get him to be quiet again. He hadn’t stopped talking since the day before, although half of what he said was just nonsense.

“Merlin?”

“What?” Finally looking at Arthur, Merlin rolled his eyes at the imp-like grin Arthur shot him.

“Nothing.”

“Go and find something to do, Arthur, I’m trying to work.” Despite the presence of the pillow, Merlin was actually sitting on the floor in the living room. The work might not be what he had ever thought he would be doing, but he was scanning any record he could of where Morgause and Cendred had been hiding before the memories returned. He didn’t want Arthur to know that, however. Not considering the only reason why he was looking was because he wanted to be able to find them again. He knew without having to look they would have left the hospital as soon as they had recovered from the attack. They would have holed up somewhere, but what scared Merlin the most was that he couldn’t figure out what they would want. Would they still be after Arthur? Or would it be him? Or would Morgause be trying to plan ways to get Morgana back on her side?

Merlin knew that he wasn’t really getting anywhere, yet it wasn’t because of the five year old that kept interrupting him. Arthur scurried off and Merlin watched him go. It was almost remarkable the change that had come over him now that he was talking. The dragon had soothed something in Arthur, something that had been making him hold himself back. It seemed this small toy, Aithusa – the irony wasn’t lost on Merlin – had been the key to releasing that. Merlin turned back to his papers, running a hand through his hair as he did so.

“Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin!”

“Now what, Arthur?” Merlin twisted, looking around at the boy with his eyebrows raised in expectation. Arthur seemed to freeze, almost as if he hadn’t expected that to be the answer. He glanced between Merlin and Aithusa for a moment, before pressing the dragon’s snout against Merlin’s cheek and running off again, giggling something about dragon kisses.

This time, Merlin didn’t even pretend to go back to work. A smile unfurled slowly across his face as he heard a small thud followed by a startled “ow” from down the hallway. He knew that Arthur was fine, his magic would tell him if the boy had managed to hurt himself. It was the only way they would know if Arthur was sickening at all now that he was being exposed to the outside world. Tucking a few of the papers away – not all of them being legal to have in his possession – Merlin stretched his legs out and yawned. It was only 6 o’clock, but he knew he would have to start getting Arthur some dinner. Gwaine was at work, having kept his real job even when the memories had returned and his mother was visiting with Gaius. They hadn’t caught up for a long time even back in Camelot, Merlin knew they had no intention of letting that happen again.

However, the look on Merlin’s face when his mother had told him that he was responsible for Arthur for the entire day had certainly been bad enough to make her laugh. Merlin couldn’t help it, the thought scared him. He could rescue Arthur no problem, but actually taking care of him? Especially with him being this energetic? Still, Merlin knew they had survived quite well so far.

As a thought entered his mind, Merlin grinned and stood up.

“Merlin, Merlin, Mer-,” Arthur froze, breaking off as he stared around. “Merlin?”

As soon as the confusion entered his voice, Merlin leapt out from behind the sofa and caught the startled Arthur around the waist, spinning him through the air as he tickled him. Arthur screamed with laughter, almost deafening the warlock in the process as he tried to squirm free. Merlin relented on the tickling, but twisted Arthur around until he could settle the boy on his hip.

“Yes, Arthur?” Arthur grinned, wrapping his arms around Merlin’s neck and letting his head rest against the warlock’s shoulder.

“Nothing.”

Merlin chuckled, carrying his king through to the kitchen and balancing him on the top as he set about sorting out dinner. Flicking the kettle on, he pulled out the pasta and turned the hob on, all the while keeping an eye on Arthur to make sure that he didn’t get too close to the edge. The little boy was sitting quite happily, simply swinging his legs back and forth and thudding his heels against the cupboard as he watched Merlin getting dinner. As Merlin pulled out a packet of sauce, he was suddenly struck with how familiar this all seemed. He kept his back turned to hide his smile, not being sure if he could explain it to Arthur or not, who would no doubt demand to know what was funny. How many times had Arthur simply sat there and watched as Merlin sorted them dinner?

With the pasta boiling, Merlin set the sauce on the hob as well and gently pushed Arthur back from where he was leaning too close. The boy had a dubious expression on his face.

“S’not rat, is it?” He asked and this time, Merlin wasn’t quick enough to hide his smile. Despite Arthur having been talking for almost twenty four hours now, this was the first time he had made a direct reference to something that happened in their past. It was the first sign he had showed of not just having an idea about who he truly was, but properly remembering the way they did.

“I promise it’s not rat,” Merlin moved in front of him and lifted Arthur down. He found himself worrying about what the contents actually were, but his cooking skills were somewhat limited so this was what they were going to have to do. “Do you think you can get the juice out?”

Arthur nodded energetically and scurried towards the fridge. This was when Merlin was reminded just how many differences there was between his king and this little boy. _His_ Arthur would have never helped in any way. Then again, he had never known Arthur at this age, maybe this wasn’t so different after all? It took Arthur both hands to carry the cartoon over to the table, but Merlin was somewhat impressed by the way he managed to clamber up a chair to place it on the top before sliding around into a kneeling position so he could watch Merlin over the top of the chair. His widening eyes quickly caused Merlin to turn back to the food, waving his hand to clear up the mess the boiling-over pasta was creating.

Eventually, however, he managed to slide a full bowl in front of Arthur, handing him a spoon and watching with a smile as the little boy tucked in. He had never eaten that enthusiastically if he knew that Merlin had cooked before.

“Slow down, you’ll get hiccups,” Merlin chided gently, slipping into another seat and eating his own. It was earlier than he normally ate, but he didn’t see the point of cooking twice. Arthur did as he was told and managed to stay quiet to eat his dinner while it was still hot, which was more than could be said for the night before. Merlin picked up the bowls, dumped them in the sink and took one look at Arthur and burst out laughing. He had sauce everywhere.

“Come on,” all it took was for him to hold out his hand and Arthur scrambled down from the table to grab hold and allow Merlin to lead him down to the bathroom. It was harder to say who was getting wetter as Merlin tried to wash Arthur’s face and in the end, he simply ran the bath, got Arthur undressed and dumped him in it, knowing it was the easiest way to avoid more mess. He cleaned up the kitchen and put the clothes in the wash while Arthur played with the bubbles, Merlin’s magic having a firm hold of the boy to make sure that he didn’t slip.

Eventually, Merlin had Arthur dried off and in his pyjamas. His hair had gone fluffy and Merlin couldn’t resist the urge to run his fingers through it. Arthur had squirmed, but his earlier antics had worn him out and he didn’t protest as Merlin wrapped him in a blanket and took him back through to the lounge. He wasn’t ready to put Arthur to bed just yet, not when he wasn’t sure when they were next going to get the chance to be just the two of them, similar to the way it had been. Merlin knew he was never going to get back what he had had with Arthur, not when there was a sixteen year age gap.

He had let Arthur chose a film and the boy had curled up contently, thumb in mouth and leaning against Merlin’s side and watching quietly. Merlin had grabbed a book, but he wasn’t sure what he was reading, too busy watching as Arthur slowly drifted off to sleep by his side. The film finished but Merlin stayed where he was. He didn’t want to move Arthur just yet, not when the boy looked so peaceful. He managed to move him into a more comfortable position so he wouldn’t have a cricked neck, even going as far as lying him down on the sofa, but didn’t take Arthur to bed just yet.

Instead, he slipped off the sofa and simply pottered around the flat. He didn’t need to focus on going after Morgause just yet, not while Arthur was that relaxed and content. He knew it would only be an hour or so before Gwaine arrived home and he knew that was most likely the topic their conversation would ultimately land on. So instead, he just tried to make it seem as if there weren’t four people practically living in a two person flat right now.

He was just wiping down a side when his magic warned him of Arthur’s distress. Before the first cry slipped from Arthur’s mouth, Merlin was back by his side, gently gathering up the little boy and making sure that Aithusa was in easy reach.

“Arthur, wake up. It’s just a dream. Wake up, you’re safe…” Merlin hated how he knew exactly what to do to coax Arthur back into alertness and it meant that he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when Arthur lurched awake, his arms immediately wrapping around Merlin in search of the desperately needed hug. Merlin hated thinking about how many times Arthur had awoken in the hospital with no one there to provide the comfort he needed.

“I’ve got you, you’re safe. Do you want to talk about it?” Merlin knew that things could potentially change now that Arthur was talking, but right then, all Arthur did was tighten his grip on Merlin. It was only Arthur burying his face in Merlin’s neck that Merlin even felt the tears, Arthur was sobbing silently.

“Arthur,” letting a firm note enter his voice, Merlin sat Arthur back a little but made sure that he didn’t withdraw his contact.

“You’re safe. What was it, something from our past?” If that was the case, then Merlin knew he would be able to reassure his king. After all, he had been there. His heart, however, sunk as Arthur shook his head, more spilling over. Merlin didn’t need to ask this time, he knew that it was something that had happened while he was in the hospital. Not really knowing what else to do, Merlin simply hugged him. He wasn’t going to force Arthur to talk if the boy didn’t want to.

“Freya,” Arthur eventually whispered, and Merlin felt his body jerk in shock. As far as he was aware, Arthur had never known that name despite having faced her.

“What about her?” Merlin said, his voice just as quietly. He wasn’t sure what this was about so knew he had to let Arthur lead the conversation. Arthur snuffled, but clutched Aithusa close to him. Somehow, Merlin knew that meant Arthur was about to explain.

“She was my nurse. Only Morgause sent her away!” Arthur crumbled again and simply cried, causing Merlin to gather him close and rub his hand soothingly over his back. He knew what Arthur wasn’t saying. The young king remembered enough about Morgause to know who ruthless she could be. Merlin knew that if Arthur said that Freya had been sent away, the chances were that the little boy was suspecting the worst.

How long Arthur cried for, Merlin didn’t know, but Gwaine was just letting himself into the flat when Arthur finally fell back to sleep. Merlin kept him in his arms this time and Gwaine smiled softly.

“Everything okay?” he whispered, mindful of the sleeping child. Merlin sighed.

“Not sure. It was a nightmare. He had a nurse there, one whom I can only assume took proper care of him. Apparently Morgause sent her away. I think Arthur thinks…”

“That she was killed?” Merlin sighed and nodded. He couldn’t imagine what a burden it would be for Arthur to have the memories at such a young age. He shouldn’t be able to assume things like that, he was supposed to still have the innocence of a child.

“Nope. It’s more than that, I can tell by your face.”

“Her name was Freya,” Merlin whispered, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to lie to Gwaine. The man’s eyes went wide; Merlin had told him all about Freya as soon as their memories had returned after realising that he was looking for her without truly noticing. He just wanted to see if she had managed her happy ending after all.

“But if she was there, then why didn’t she believe Arthur? She would know that he was telling the truth, surely?”

“What if the memories didn’t return for everyone?” Merlin asked quietly. It was something that had been playing on his mind for a while now. Gaius had mentioned there was an Elena at the hospital and that had been how they had been able to find Arthur. But nothing had been said about her knowing herself, there had been no one trying to help Arthur because he was king, just because he was a little boy.

Voicing his suspicions out loud, he had to grin at the spark that shot into Gwaine’s eye at the mention of Elena, despite the fact he tried to cover it up. Technically they had never met, but Merlin knew that Gwaine had heard a lot about her and wanted to get to know the woman who had once beaten Arthur in a horse race.

“But how is that possible?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they weren’t crucial enough to Arthur’s destiny to be burdened with memories of our past?”

“And we were? Now I feel special,” Gwaine muttered sarcastically, sitting down on the sofa and staring at the sleeping king curled up on Merlin’s lap.

“You know we have to try and find Freya, right?”

“But if she doesn’t remember, do we want to make her do so?” Merlin protested. It was hard having grown up as one person and then suddenly had everything thrown back at him. It wasn’t as if Freya had had the happiest life the first time around and Merlin didn’t want to burden her again.

“Whether she remembers or not isn’t the issue. Arthur said Morgause sent her away? We owe it to her to find out the truth. She might still be alive.”

“You’re right. Of course you are. Just didn’t think you would be the one to say that, I thought I was the one with a saving people problem?”

“Damsel in distress plus kicking the bad guy’s arse? Count me in any day, mate, haven’t had a quest for a few thousand years now.”

It was magic, in a way. With Gwaine’s simple sentence, Merlin felt as if everything was right in the world again. He was right. The Round Table were back together again, even if their leader was not quite what he once was. But Merlin knew that Arthur wouldn’t let them stop until they knew what happened to Freya and the warlock was certain that denying what they were doing wasn’t going to fool the king either.

“You know Freya was never exactly the damsel type?” Merlin teased, carefully standing up and scooping Arthur into his arms. Gwaine shrugged.

“I love a challenge. Did Arthur eat my dinner again?”

“Yep. Leftovers in the fridge though.” Merlin began walking towards his room, knowing it was time to put Arthur to bed properly.

“Hey, Merlin? I’m having a beer, you want one?” Merlin took a long look at the sleeping king in his arms and sighed.

“Yeah, love one.” The answering grin on Gwaine’s face made it worth it. Arthur was asleep and Hunith was out. For the first time since their memories returned, they could go back to just being two best mates finding their way in the world. Tomorrow, the hunt would start to try and find Freya and learning more about what had caused only some people’s memories returned. But right now, Merlin knew it was time to actually relax for once.

After all, he felt like he had earned it.

“What the hell did you do to the hob?” Gwaine’s voice came floating through as Merlin pulled his bedroom door shut and he winced, wondering quite what damage his magic had caused. It wasn’t created to clean, and trying not to think about what his mother would say despite it not being her flat, Merlin hurriedly anxiously into the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 16

“Are you doing magic?”

“Arthur, come away.” Merlin twisted from where he was sitting cross legged on the floor, holding up a hand to stop his mother from escorting Arthur from out of the room. Morgana was sitting opposite him, her position mirroring his own and their knees were touching. Merlin smiled at Arthur gently, not yet knowing how accepting Arthur was of magic.

“Yes, we are,” he said softly, watching the little boy closely.

“Oh,” Arthur’s response sounded neither positive or negative and he practically climbed up Merlin’s back so that he could peer over the warlock’s shoulder. “Why?”

This time, it was Merlin who glanced at his mother, looking for advice. Did they tell Arthur that they were about to try and locate Freya, that the spell would work whether she was alive or dead. One way or another, Merlin had to know what had happened to her. He had never tried to truly find someone in this manner in their previous life, his ability to see the path ahead meaning follow was an easy task for him. He had never truly lost someone enough to have to try it. He didn’t think his magic was quite strong enough for a spell of this magnitude on his own, hence why Morgana was there to help him out.

His mother nodded encouragingly. It was Arthur’s nightmare that had prompted them to locate the missing woman, it was only right he had a right to know. Not to mention that even if it was bad news, the closure would help Arthur compared to the not knowing. Gently, keeping his voice soft and soothing, Merlin explained what they were about to attempt. He couldn’t properly look at Arthur, not considering the boy was draped over his back, but he could feel the slight movement and knew that it meant Arthur’s sleeve was in his mouth.

“Does that mean she is one of us?” he asked quietly and Merlin nodded.

“If it is the same person, then yes. But I don’t know why she doesn’t remember, Arthur. Maybe when we find her we will be able to find out.” Merlin didn’t want Arthur thinking that Freya had known who he was and not really done anything to help free him from Morgause.

“You’ll be ‘kay?” The worry in Arthur’s voice made Merlin pluck him off his back and stand Arthur in front of him so that he could look the boy in the eye.

“I’m going to be just fine, Arthur. That’s why Morgana is here to help me, to make sure that everything is okay. Why don’t you go to the shops with Mum, and by the time you get back, we’ll know where to find her. How does that sound?”

Arthur chewed on his sleeve for a moment before glancing at Morgana. She smiled encouragingly, but didn’t say anything. Hunith held out her hand.

“Come along, Arthur. Let’s find your shoes.” Arthur slowly slipped his hand into Hunith’s, but his wide eyes didn’t stray from Merlin. Smiling, the warlock reached out and tugged the sleeve out of Arthur’s mouth.

“There is nothing to worry about, I promise. Now go on, go with Mum and be a good boy.” Arthur finally relented and let Hunith tow him away. Neither Merlin nor Morgana said anything else until they heard the flat door shut again and Merlin had made sure he had adjusted the shields around Arthur. He was getting better at being outside, but Merlin still wasn’t taking any chances until Gaius had made it clear that he would be fine.

“Can we do this?” Morgana asked quietly once they knew they were alone. Merlin grimaced.

“Have to now, I promised him.” Morgana smiled, that answer being enough for her to risk it. There wasn’t anything dangerous as such about the spell, but neither of them had ever cast anything like this before. Not to mention if Morgause was the one behind Freya’s disappearance, what they found wasn’t necessarily going to be present. Merlin lay his hands palms up on his knees, Morgana shuffling forward so she could rest her own hands over his.

Her magic began to flow into him as Merlin let his eyes blaze. He knew that he needed no incantation, not considering he had an emotional link to the person in question. He just needed to channel his magic and considering he didn’t quite know where he was sending it, that was why he needed Morgana to ground him. He didn’t want to try and send it to far and not have a way back by doing it alone.

Merlin lost track of all sense of time and space. He could feel that he was sitting cross legged on the floor, but it was almost like an out of body experience. He could practically see him and Morgana simply sitting there before he felt a tugging sensation on his magic drawing him away. Instinct made him want to pull back, not liking the feeling of just floating away, but he forced himself to breathe through it, knowing that he had to stop thinking about what he was just doing and let it happen.

Whether it was because of the spell they were doing or whether it was having Morgana’s magic combining with his own, Merlin wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he hadn’t felt that powerful in a very long time. His magic was humming in joy at being used closer to its full potential than it had ever done in this lifetime and Merlin had a hard time keeping it focused on the task at hand.

Eventually, an image began to form in his mind. It seemed to be some sort of warehouse from the flashes he got of the outside, but he wasn’t sure where. He could hear the sounds of seagulls though and knew it had to be by the sea. That instantly narrowed their search, knowing there were only two places in the area that matched that description. But then his magic tugged him inside, the vast empty space making him feel small despite the fact he was only seeing it through the use of powerful magic.

The power took him to the back of the warehouse and down a lift that he knew could only be activated from the top. Merlin could feel Morgana squeezing his hand and knew that he must have jerked at the sensation of falling as he travelled down the lift shaft. When it finally came to a stop, there was a heavy metal door, bolted from the outside. That was no issue to the magic though and Merlin found himself seeing through it. It looked like it could have once be an office, but it had been converted to some sort of cell, a small bed and washbasin being the only things he could see.

The room was tiny, but bigger than Merlin’s magic was allowing him to see. That was because it had found its target. Curled up on the bed, with a length of chain running from her ankle to the wall, was Freya. Merlin yelled aloud, anger burning through him, but his reactions were enough to break the spell and he sucked in a sharp breath, opening his eyes and finding himself firmly back in his own flat.

“Did you find her? Who is she?” Morgana asked breathlessly, confirming Merlin’s suspicions that despite their joint magic, he was the only one to have seen the images.

“Do you remember when a Druid captive was brought to Camelot and she went missing? Not long after the Witchfinder?” Morgana shuddered and Merlin took that as a confirmation. He didn’t say anything else, but her eyes widened.

“You did free her?”

“I was not going to leave her in that cage knowing it could have, _should_ have been me, Morgana. And there is no way that I’m leaving her locked up again.”

“She’s alive?” Merlin suddenly grinned, realising that although he was furious, things could have actually been a lot worse. Arthur had thought that Freya had been killed, and knowing what he did about Morgause, Merlin had found himself thinking along the same lines. Morgana suddenly frowned.

“What if it is a trap? What if Morgause is expecting you to rescue her and will take you while you are down there?”

Merlin offered half a shrug, the only sign that he had already thought along the same lines. But Morgause had underestimated him before and he knew that he wasn’t going alone. But Morgana was not one of the party he wanted accompanying him.

“That’s why you are going to stay here and use your magic to guard Arthur, no matter what.”

Morgana opened her mouth to argue, but Merlin locked eyes with her.

“Please. He’s beginning to trust you, show him that that trust is not misplaced. Guard him?” Merlin knew it was a low blow using Arthur against her like that, but he simply couldn’t risk Morgause getting her hands on him again.

“Fine,” Morgana gave in, climbing off the floor at the same time. “But you’re the one telling him, he’s not going to like it.”

MMM

“Are you sure about this?” Gwaine muttered dubiously as he eyed the elevator shaft with trepidation. Merlin nodded.

“She’s down there and so that is where I’m going.”

There was nothing but certainty in his voice as he glanced at his friends. Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan had all accompanied him. Lancelot had chosen to stay with Morgana to help guard Arthur just in case something went wrong. Merlin was relieved, but for more reasons than just keeping the little boy safe. Morgana had been right in thinking that Arthur wouldn’t like being told that they had found his favourite nurse and then informed that he wasn’t allowed on the rescue. It was the closest to acting like a king Merlin had seen him as the boy had demanded that he had to go to, but everyone else had put their foot down. At least they knew that Lancelot had a way with small, pouting, blond five year old’s. If it had just been Morgana, Merlin might have wondered whether they would actually have a flat to go back to.

He had described to the others as best as he could what he had seen. Elyan had recognised the description, claiming the other set of warehouses were all on one level whereas this one was known to have an underground section. It had been as good a place to start as any and they had set out the very next morning after making as much of a plan as they could considering they had no idea what they were about to walk into.

“I’m not doubting you, mate, I’m just doubting this lift.” It was little more than a cage that needed to be lowered, and Merlin knew that Gwaine was not the only one thinking it didn’t look stable. But he reminded himself that someone must have taken Freya down there in the first place, it had to hold.

“It will be fine. Besides, you’re coming with me.” Merlin Gwaine at the groan that escaped Gwaine, but it had already been decided. Percival was the only one with the strength to turn the stiff wheel to work the lift (they had all tried on arrival and all failed apart from him) and Elyan was going to keep a lookout by the entrance of the warehouse just in case a signal had already been sent to Morgause that they were here. But despite the magic at his disposal, Gwaine had flatly refused to let Merlin go down there on his own. If he was honest, Merlin knew he would be grateful for the company. Gwaine was much better with locks than he was and he didn’t exactly want to use magic to blast open the cell door without knowing where Freya was first. They had told Arthur that she was alive, and Merlin fully intended to get her out in that state as well.

“Let’s get this over with,” Merlin muttered, not just meaning the lift. Gwaine nodded and Elyan moved away to the exit. This was when they were vulnerable, when they were split up with jobs assigned to each of them. But all remained quiet as they stepped into the lift and Percival began forcing the stiff wheel to move. It certainly wasn’t the smoothest of journeys that Merlin had ever been on, jolting and jerking its way down the lift shaft. But then he recalled how it felt to feel as if he was falling down it as his magic had shown him and decided not to say anything. Gwaine also had his mouth clamped shut, but judging by the colour of his friend’s face, Merlin had a feeling that was to keep something else other than words back.

They eventually reached the bottom and Gwaine made short work of slotting the bolts back and releasing the door. Merlin yanked it open and took one step into the room.

“No!”

The shout took him by surprise and he froze. It was only then that he heard a ticking sound suddenly fill the air and he groaned out loud. Somehow, opening the door triggered what he could only assume was a bomb of sorts. But rather than being alarmed, Merlin simply smirked, his eyes flaring. His magic raced into all corners of the room, looking for the device. Once it was located, the power clamped down on the countdown, stopping it just as suddenly as he had started it. He hadn’t stopped the bomb, he had just paused it for now.

“M-Merlin?” Now that he knew he wasn’t about to be blown to smithereens, Merlin finally allowed himself to look around the room. Freya had clearly risen from the bed as the door opened, but still was halfway to standing, staring at him. Merlin grinned, his easy, care-free smile that had made her dark days a little brighter before the end.

“Hi, Freya,” he whispered, suddenly realising how pleased he was to see her. The chain let her reach him and Merlin couldn’t even blink before she was in his arms. He hugged her for all he was worth, his magic silently releasing her from her restraints.

“Oh my god, Arthur!” Freya suddenly gasped, pulling back and her hands flying to her mouth.

“It’s okay, we’ve got him,” Merlin reassure her quickly, but then frowned. “he didn’t think you remembered though?”

“I didn’t,” Freya admitted quietly, sitting back down on the bed. Merlin perched next to her. “I knew I was making progress with him, I knew that he was listening to me. I left a shift one day, and the last thing I saw was that horrible doctor emerging from the shadows. I think he had a needle in his hand, and the next thing I know, I was in here. Morgause was with him. She did something, she put her hand on my forehead and used magic, and all my memories came back. I realised who he was, and they informed me of how they were using him against you and Uther, and then they left me here…”

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” Merlin put his arm around her shoulder as Freya wiped at her eyes. Gwaine moved forward.

“I’m all for catching up, but can we do it in a place that isn’t about to explode when your magic goes all temperamental on us?” Merlin realised that Gwaine had a point. His magic did have a habit of doing what it wanted and he had no intention of being blown up in a warehouse. Something told him that it was Cendred’s design. Morgause wanted him alive too much and Merlin was beginning to get the feeling she had saved Freya for something else. But Cendred wouldn’t have risked them getting her out. Merlin smirked, sending Gwaine and Freya up in the lift first so he was closer to the source of the bomb. He wondered what the man would think when he realised they had just come down and freed her without an incident.

The wait for the lift was one of the longest in Merlin’s life, adamant that something was going to happen at the top that would leave him stuck down here. But his fears were unfounded and it didn’t take long for Percival to haul him up. As Freya put her hand on Percival’s arm in gratitude, Merlin almost burst out laughing at the blush that worked its way across the man’s face. He caught Gwaine’s eye and knew that he had also seen it. This was going to be interesting.

Elyan came hurrying in, claiming there was a car heading their way and fast. The team took that as their cue to leave and sprinted for the exit, Percival helping Freya along when her imprisonment caused her to stumble. They sprang into the car and Gwaine quickly started the engine, pulling away just as fast as the approaching car. Realising that they couldn’t get out unseen, Merlin waited until this newcomer had pulled right up to the warehouse before letting go of his magic and releasing the bomb.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. To his delight, someone got out of the car and Merlin was convinced it was Cendred himself. But just as the man took a step towards the warehouse, it exploded dramatically, the force rocking their car despite how far out they had already gone. As everyone in the car yelled in delight and Gwaine set a course for home – albeit going a roundabout way just in case anyone else had got a glimpse of them – Merlin found himself grinning.

For the first time ever, he truly thought that they could stop Morgause. He had been so preoccupied with Arthur’s recovery that he hadn’t truly dared let the thought cross his mind, but as Freya fell asleep, her head on Percival’s shoulder, Merlin knew their bonds would overcome anything that was thrown at them.


	17. Chapter 17

Merlin didn’t realise how long they had been gone for until Gwaine was forced to turn the lights on. Merlin almost groaned as he realised it was early evening and they had been gone for most of the day. He didn’t want to dwell on quite what would have been going through Arthur’s mind for the whole day, not knowing if he was going to be coming back or not. Merlin hoped that the young king had believed in Merlin’s promise enough to not act up, but he also knew what Arthur was like when he was worried about something. He would never admit to what was truly going through his mind, but he would just make everyone around him pay the price.

Then again, Arthur had never tried to have a strop in front of Hunith before. Silently urging Gwaine to drive faster, Merlin braced himself for the storm he was sure was about to hit as soon as they walked into the flat. But despite his worries, Merlin still found that he was smiling fondly as he glanced across the car. Elyan was in the front with Gwaine, but Freya was in between Percival and Merlin. She had fallen asleep, clearly the relief that she was safe catching up with her. But her head had come to rest on Percival’s shoulder and the man looked like he was trying to sit as still as he could to make sure he didn’t jolt her.

Merlin caught Gwaine’s eye as he glanced in the mirror and both had matching smiles on their faces. Just because Freya had met them in almost the same manner this time as the first time around, it didn’t mean her story was going to play out in the same manner. Merlin wasn’t going to let it, and if that meant forcing Percival to overcome some of his shyness, then that was what he would do.

Luckily, trying to match make his friends took up Merlin’s thoughts for the rest of the journey and he didn’t have time to worry about Arthur until Gwaine pulled up outside the flat. Merlin was out of the car almost before it had stopped, anxious to get inside and reassure everyone that everything was okay. He didn’t exactly plan on telling either Arthur or his mother the surprise that had been left in store for them. One would fuss and the other would freak, and if he was honest, Merlin wasn’t entirely sure which way around it would be. He left Percival to wake up Freya and sprinted up to the door, almost falling through it in his haste to get in.

Somehow, it came as no surprise when a pyjama-clad figure instantly hurtled out of the lounge door and wrapped himself around Merlin’s legs. Merlin crouched down, opening his arms in order to give Arthur a proper hug. The little boy clung on for a moment, until Merlin drew back.

“Were you worried?” he asked teasingly, knowing the answer but trying to make light of the situation. He didn’t want Arthur to spend all his time worrying considering his age. Arthur instantly pulled out of Merlin’s arms and stuck his tongue out.

“No,” he muttered, but Merlin knew better. A sparkle was just beginning to come back into Arthur’s eyes, meaning it had been well and truly out for the majority of the day. He didn’t envy his mother or Morgana having to look after the boy if Arthur had been sulking all day.

“No? Not even a little bit? Not for me?” Arthur shook his head stubbornly, a grin pulling at the corners of his lips as he struggled not to laugh.

“How about for Freya?” Merlin said gently and Arthur’s breath seemed to catch in his throat. He peered around Merlin towards the door, chewing his lip when no one was there. Merlin knew they would be in any moment now, it didn’t take that long to wake someone up. He knelt back down until he was eye level with Arthur, making the little boy look at him.

“She’s okay, Arthur. She’s safe, and she will be walking through that door any moment.” Arthur’s face lit up and Merlin just about moved in time to stop him running out into the street. He grabbed Arthur by the waist and carried the child through to the lounge. If that had been Cendred who had responded to them breaking into the factory, then Merlin knew they would have to be extra cautious over the next few days to make sure that no one followed them here. Arthur squirmed, but seemed to find a game in it and was soon laughing. Merlin tipped him back on his feet once they were further into the flat and he was less likely to make a run for it.

“Arthur, I need you to listen to me,” Merlin sat Arthur down on the sofa, perching next to him and making sure that he had the boy’s full attention before continuing. Arthur seemed to hear how serious he was being for he instantly sat still, watching Merlin with rapt attention.

“You know she was trying to help you before and then she had to go away?” Arthur nodded and Merlin smiled. “You were right, Morgause did send her away. But when Freya was helping you, she didn’t know who you were. She didn’t remember. But Morgause brought her memories through. She didn’t remember when she was with you, but she does now. Do you understand?”

Arthur frowned, clearly mulling it over as he tried to make sense of what Merlin was telling him before nodding.

“’kay,” he finally muttered, his eyes locked on the lounge door. Merlin smiled, realising what had drawn Arthur’s attention. The front door had opened, the low murmur of voices signalling that the others had arrived and didn’t want to make too much of a commotion in case the five year old was in bed. Deciding it was time to put Arthur out of his worry, Merlin called them through.

Gwaine came first, ruffling Arthur’s hair as he passed to the kitchen. It was only then that Merlin realised that Morgana and his mother were nowhere to be seen. Gwaine opening the door revealed a low murmur of voices coming from the kitchen and his question was answered. As another male voice greeted Gwaine, the issue over how they had dealt with Arthur was also solved as he heard Leon. If anyone knew how to control Arthur, it was Leon.

Elyan appeared next, but Arthur ignored him, turning until he was kneeling up and peering over the back of the sofa. Merlin found that he was watching his king more than the door and as soon as Arthur’s face lit up, he knew that Freya had appeared. Arthur moved faster than Merlin could comprehend, sprinting around the sofa and giving her the same greeting that he had given Merlin. The warlock slowly turned around, smiling gently when he saw Freya on her knees, hugging Arthur back just as tightly with her eyes closed in obvious relief that the little boy was okay.

“I’m not mad, Freya,” Arthur said earnestly. “Honest! I can prove it now, Merlin says it’s all real. It is, it’s all real and they were just being mean. But I did try and do all your ‘xercises, really I did even though I knew you were wrong. I just pretended so you wouldn’t get cross, but now you can’t cos you know…”

“Arthur.” Merlin broke in gently, causing the boy to stop and suck in a massive breath to compensate for his rush of words. The angle he was at meant Merlin could see the worry on his face and he suddenly found himself smiling. All that Arthur seemed to be worried about was that Freya would tell him off for not doing the exercises. There was a gently smile on Freya’s face as she softly pushed Arthur’s hair back from his forehead and pressed a light kiss there instead.

“I know you aren’t mad, Arthur. I didn’t think you were even when I couldn’t remember. But now I know for sure. It’s alright, you don’t have to do any more exercises, you’re doing just fine.”

“I made you biscuits.” Arthur muttered, pulling away from her and running towards the kitchen. Merlin stood up and moved across the room, helping Freya up. She smiled at him.

“I always gave him a biscuit when he was trying,” she explained and Merlin had to laugh. It seemed that after all of this time, the easiest way to make Arthur listen was to bring food into the mix. Arthur’s squeal from the kitchen told Merlin that Gwaine had also found the biscuits and he let his magic drift from him and open the door, partly to give Arthur a hand and partly to see what was going on. The five year old was biting his lip in concentration as he held a tray, Leon watching him closely to make sure that he didn’t drop it. Gwaine seemed to be standing on one leg, although Merlin couldn’t work out whether Arthur had kicked him in the shin or stamped on his foot. Morgana looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Arthur moved slowly back into the room, carefully putting one foot in front of the other before presenting the tray with a flourish to Freya. She took one with a word of thanks and Arthur made to move away again until Merlin cleared his throat meaningfully. The little boy blushed, handing Merlin one himself.

“Were you going to forget about me?” Arthur shook his head, and Merlin saw there was something deeper in his expression than just the playful note that Merlin had been aiming for. It was only then that he truly realised his choice of words and realised that talking about forgetting people wasn’t the best thing he could have said considering they had only just got Freya back. Leon took the tray from Arthur, who scrambled up on the sofa between the two adults, watching Freya in concern.

“I’m truly alright, Arthur,” she said quietly, trying to reassure him. Arthur nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

“You can stay here now, and Merlin can look after you too,” Arthur declared, looking to Merlin for confirmation of his words. Merlin grinned, catching Freya’s eye, who blushed. Merlin had once promised her that same thing.

“We’re running out of room,” Gwaine came into the room as he spoke and although his voice was light-hearted and casual, Merlin knew he had a point. His mother was going back and forth between here and Gaius’ and there were already three of them in a two-bed flat as it was.

“It’s okay, I’ll find somewhere.”

“But Morgause might get her!” Arthur cried, half crawling onto Freya’s lap as if that was going to be enough to make her stay. She chuckled, giving him a hug but catching Merlin’s eye. Arthur had a point – if she were to check into a hotel or anything that obvious, Morgause would be able to find her.

“I have a spare room.” Percival’s voice was quiet and the man’s cheeks flushed red as he avoided Freya’s gaze. Arthur looked confused, glancing between the ex-knight and his ex-nurse, as if trying to work out what the strange vibes in the room meant. Some sort of realisation suddenly dawned on him and there was a split second of disgust on Arthur’s face before he dissolved into giggles.

“Come on, you, shouldn’t you be in bed? What have you done with Mum?” Merlin climbed to his feet, hooking his hands under Arthur’s shoulders and pulling him off Freya, determined to give her the chance to respond to Percival without a five year old king interfering.

“She went back to Gaius, decided that Morgana and I could handle him.” It was Leon who responded, ruffling Arthur’s hair as he moved past. Merlin nodded in understanding. The fact that they had clearly survived bath time and Arthur was ready for bed meant they must have done a good job. He took Arthur’s hand and led him from the room. It had become something of a second nature to tuck the little boy into bed, making sure his dragon was in reach and staying with him until Arthur’s eyes closed. It took no time at all, and Merlin found himself wondering what else Leon had been doing to keep the boy’s mind off what they had been doing all day. Arthur quickly settled and Merlin returned to the others, making sure that he kept the light on for the child.

“Are you really okay?” he asked Freya, knowing that she didn’t have to hide anything now that Arthur was out of the room. She nodded softly, exhaustion obvious in her eyes. But apart from that, Merlin had to admit that she did look as well as could be expected and he was certain a good night’s sleep would sort out anything else. Wondering quite when he had turned into his mother, Merlin flopped down on the sofa and blew out a long breath.

“So what now?” Gwaine asked, sitting down next to him and folding one leg up under him. Merlin grinned and his friend groaned.

“I know that look. You are planning something, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Merlin…”

“Okay, fine.” Merlin gave in, knowing that they wouldn’t let it drop until he said what was on his mind. “Morgause underestimated us today, she thought that something that simple would be enough to stop us. But maybe that means we’ve been overestimating her?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we strike back at her before she has the chance to hurt anyone else.”

“Merlin, you know you promised you wouldn’t kill her,” Leon cautioned, reminding Merlin of the talk they had had the day they had got Arthur back to the flat. Merlin shook his head, his eyes glinting.

“I’m not saying we kill her. I’m saying we take her magic.”

“ _What?”_

 _“_ If she has no magic, what has she got? She tried to persuade people that Arthur was mad because of him thinking that he was a king. Why can’t we do the same to her? Take her magic and then she can’t hurt anyone. It’s one thing for a five year old boy to believe that he was a king of old. But for a grown woman to believe she was a witch? No one would believe her, and she would be as locked up as Uther is.”

“And how do you propose we do that? She already wants you dead.” Morgana asked quietly. In a way, Merlin was glad that was the only thing that she asked. If anyone was going to protest about going after Morgause, it would have been Morgana. But if she was happy to go along with it, Merlin knew they had far more chance of this succeeding. He knew his magic was more powerful than Morgause’s, but he wouldn’t be able to watch his own back. Having Morgana there would be a blessing.

“Still working on that bit,” Merlin admitted, the plan only forming in his head now that he was allowing it to. He hadn’t let himself think about going after Morgause for Arthur’s sake, not wanting him caught up in something that he would only understand because he had the memories of another time in his mind. No five year old should be in the middle of a fight in the way Arthur was.

“But what would say to getting Elena out?”

“Elena? As in…”

“As in the other nurse that seemed to be any good at dealing with Arthur. We knew an Elena back in our time as well. What if he responded to you both because he recognised you even when you didn’t recognise him. She might not remember now, but I bet you anything that she is Morgause next target now that we have you out.”

Merlin stopped there, letting his words sink in. This mission had been dangerous enough and Merlin wasn’t sure he would have even thought about Freya if Arthur hadn’t had that nightmare. But it seemed the perfect way to stop Morgause. Not only would it mean saving their friends along the way, it also gave Arthur more people he trusted. The more people they had on their side, the less power that Morgause had.

“Are you sure this will work?” Gwaine asked, but Merlin could see the way his eyes were gleaming with the idea of getting to be the hero again.

“To stop Morgause? No idea. But surely we owe it to Elena to make sure she can’t be dragged into something she possibly has no memory of.”

“You’re right,” Leon said gently, “innocents should not suffer in this. But getting back to the hospital is not going to be easy.”

“Unless you have a key to the front door.”

“Exactly. I… what?” Merlin suddenly realised what Freya had just said and turned to her, eyes wide. She simply grinned and pulled a small key out of an inside pocket.

“They never knew I had it. It gets you into the main part of the hospital. Not to where Morgause and Cendred were, they kept Arthur apart. But Elena should be in that main part, all nurses have rooms there. You might be able to simply walk in and walk out again.”

Merlin took the key with a trembling hand, suddenly coming to the realisation that this could be a lot easier than they thought it would be. There would be no need for diversion and tactics this time, they could simply walk Elena out of there and thwart Morgause in the process. A slow grin split over his face as he looked up and caught Gwaine’s eye. The man had the same look on his face; the need to finally be doing something active to stop Morgause from ruining any more lives.

It was time to start fighting back properly.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Merlin yawned, stretching his arms across the back of the sofa and regarding the room with a small smile on his face. There was something comforting about having his friends sprawled around him, all studying various documents as they tried to work out how they were going to be able to take down Morgause. It was almost the same scene as had been present nearly every day as they tried to work out where Arthur was. Merlin wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he had almost missed this. It reminded him of Camelot in a way, all of them working together as they attempted to save the day while still figuring out what they were fighting against.

They were one step ahead this time, they knew who they were up against. But that didn’t make their fight any easier. Now that Arthur was free, Merlin wasn’t sure what precisely it was that Morgause wanted. Morgana had mentioned how Morgause genuinely seemed to want Arthur for herself, but would she take Arthur at the cost of losing out on Merlin’s magic? Merlin hoped that he was the bigger prize as it meant it offered Arthur some form of protection, but he knew they couldn’t assume anything. They were basing Morgause’s power on Morgana’s, but it was all just guess work. Not to mention they weren’t entirely sure of what Cendred was capable of, despite knowing he didn’t have magic. The man had never needed magic to wreak havoc and Merlin had a feeling he was exactly the same now.

Merlin thought that it also helped that they were on the offensive rather than the defence this time. It wasn’t about scrambling to catch up in order to make sure that no one else was hurt and their king was safe. It was about taking a stand and making sure that Morgause never had the chance to do anything. As of yet, they had no idea whether Elena remembered or whether Morgause knew who she was in order to realise there was someone else in the same hospital with a link to their past.

And that in turn took them right back to the starting point of their problem as to whether Morgause would even stay in the hospital. They had come to the conclusion that it depended who they were after. If it was Arthur, then she would move to try and find him. But if it was Merlin, then they were sure she would stay put in order to draw him in.

“Here, I might have something,” Morgana finally spoke after hours of silence and Merlin knew that he wasn’t the only one who jumped. How long had he spent just staring around the room rather than looking for any clues. Judging by the way Gwaine cleared his throat and Percival seemed to be blinking rapidly, Merlin knew that he also wasn’t the only one to have not been paying any attention. Somehow, that just made the whole feel even more right and Merlin had to fight to keep a smile off his face as he turned towards Morgana.

“What?”

“There is a residence not far from the hospital. Registered under the name of Hilda.”

“But…”

“That was the name I used, I know. But it’s a link, surely? She can’t have stayed at the hospital the whole time, there must have been somewhere before, some place that she went to get away from it all.” Merlin had to admit that Morgana had a point. Uther was only arrested almost a year ago, Morgause must have had somewhere before all of this.

“We could ask Freya?”

“No.” Merlin knew that his voice sounded firm, but he wasn’t getting Freya any more involved than she already was. It had got her killed the first time around and had almost got her killed this time as well. Currently, the young woman was out with Hunith and Arthur, the two ladies seeming to realise the tension of the flat and decide the best thing was to take Arthur for a walk. Merlin could sense they were on their way back, his magic had latched onto Arthur so strongly these days, especially when the boy was out of his sight.

“Merlin, she is in this whether you like this or not. Unless we know more about what is going on, we possibly can’t get Elena out either. It is true we do have a way of just walking in, but what if Morgause knew that Freya would tell us if you got her out. I’m begging you, don’t underestimate her.”

Leon draped an arm around Morgana’s shoulders and Merlin knew that she was getting upset. They had lost to Morgause before; they had lost Morgana. Merlin knew she was desperate to stop there being a repeat of beforehand. As Leon comforted her, Merlin sighed. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. If they had any chance of winning, he knew that he was going to have to stop dancing around the edge. He was so afraid of his friends being hurt that he wasn’t prepared to take any true risks. But Morgause wasn’t playing by the same rules as them, not considering the way she had used a five year old. Merlin knew he was going to have to start being a little more ruthless if they were going to win this.

“I’ll talk to her,” he muttered, causing Morgana to smile at him. He smiled back, knowing that she was only trying to keep them safe just the way he was. That didn’t mean he had to like it and sat back on the sofa with a sigh.

“Did anyone else find anything?” he asked quietly, wanting to move the conversation on before it continued down a path that made him feel uncomfortable. It had always been his destiny to protect people, he didn’t like the idea of making them uncomfortable by having to ask questions they would rather left unasked. Just like before, no one had found anything solid, just odd snippets of information that might perhaps lead somewhere, but were more than likely to just be dead ends.

Merlin lent his head back comfortably on the sofa as he listened to his friends talk. His mind, however, was far away. What if Morgause was waiting for him? Merlin knew that he would have no choice but to go to her. Not to surrender, not unless it was clear that she was going to win and they didn’t have a chance. But because while she had him, she wouldn’t have the time to think about going after Arthur, and just like always, the king had to come first.

“Stop it,” Gwaine’s quiet voice cut through Merlin’s musings and he jumped, staring at his friend. The others were still chatting away, yet there was a serious look on Gwaine’s face that Merlin didn’t think he had ever seen before. But more importantly was the look in Gwaine’s eye. Merlin knew without having to ask that the man somehow knew what he had been thinking and was not happy about it. Merlin shifted, preparing to argue his case, but Gwaine simply shook his head.

“No, Merlin. Stop it. It won’t work. You know if she gets hold of you, she will strip your magic from you. And then when she has your power combined with her own, none of us will be able to stop her. She’ll brush us aside like flies and take Arthur, and there will be nothing any of us can do to stop it because we won’t have the strength to go after her. If you go to her, if you let yourself be killed, Arthur is lost.”

“What if I beat her though?” Merlin asked quietly, folding his legs under his body so he could face Gwaine properly. The man looked stunned, almost as if he hadn’t thought that one through. Then he slowly began to smile.

“Then it will be with all of us at your back just like before. You can’t take Morgause and Cendred at the same time, even you don’t have the strength for that, not in this time. We’ll distract the slimeball, you take on the freaky witch.”

Merlin snorted in amusement, knowing that only Gwaine would be able to make things sound as matter-of-fact as that. But Merlin then realised that he wasn’t the only one finding it amusing. Sometime while Gwaine had been talking, the others had fallen silent and now were taking the time to voice their own opinion on what had just been discussed. The general consensus seemed to be that Merlin was an idiot for even thinking that he could go against Morgause on his own and that if he did so, it would be as good as handing Arthur over. Merlin had a small smile unfurling at the corners of his lips as they all told him that they did this together or they didn’t do it at all. As Gwen reached up and squeezed his hand, Merlin felt his magic pulse.

“They’re almost back,” he muttered and everyone sprang into action. They didn’t want Arthur knowing what they were up to. Merlin had a feeling their young king might try and forbid them from going against Morgause. But Merlin also knew that if Arthur was aware that his friends were preparing to put themselves in danger, he would either insist on coming to (resulting in a fierce tantrum when he was told no!) or he would withdraw back into himself in worry. They weren’t about to let that happen after spending so long trying to get him to feel safe.

By the time the door opened and they could hear Arthur chatting away excitedly about something, all the papers had been shoved out of sight – most of them under the cushions in the sofa – Gwen, Lance and Percival had gone through to the kitchen to make some drinks and the rest were sitting in more casual positions, chatting quietly amongst themselves and making it look like they had just been hanging out all afternoon rather than planning another operation.

Arthur had managed to get his shoes off, but still had his coat on and clutching Freya’s hand as they moved into the lounge. Merlin hadn’t truly realised just how much good it would do Arthur to have someone who was almost the bridge between the two lives he had been living recently. The fact that Freya knew him first and foremost as the little boy who had tried really hard for her rather than the king meant her behaviour around Arthur was different. Merlin couldn’t put his finger on what it was that was so different, there was just something in the way that she spoke to him. Considering Arthur was skipping on every third step as he came into the lounge meant Merlin knew he couldn’t pick up on the tension that had been in the room not long before. The team as a whole were getting better at hiding things from Arthur. While Merlin wasn’t sure that was necessarily a good thing, he knew that the others wanted to keep him as the innocent five year old as long as they could.

As soon as Arthur saw Merlin, he tore free of Freya and threw himself at his destiny, clambering over the side of the sofa as he did so.

“We went to see the ducks,” Arthur exclaimed happily, wriggling until he found his way onto Merlin’s lap. Merlin lifted him slightly so that Arthur was kneeling up and peeled the boy’s coat off him, handing it over to Freya with a smile of thanks when she held out her hand.

“Did you? Did you have a chat with them?”

“No, silly, ducks can’t talk,” Arthur giggled, shifting about until he got comfortable. Merlin just stayed where he was, knowing that any movement would no doubt be wrong for Arthur. When the boy’s head came to rest on his chest, he knew that Arthur was finally going to sit still and let his arm fall across Arthur’s back, hugging him gently.

“What were they doing then?”

“Being ducks,” Arthur murmured, yawning as he curled up on Merlin’s lap and let his thumb slip into his mouth. Merlin glanced towards the door as his mother walked through and she smiled at the sight in front of her. Merlin mouthed a thank you, knowing their long walk had not only given them the time to start planning something, but also had tired Arthur out. She smiled and went to join Gwen in the kitchen. Within a few moments, both were back and Hunith handed Arthur a glass of warm milk. He sat up and carefully took it in both hands, almost biting his lip in concentration and not realising that everyone was watching him with fond expressions on their faces. It was those looks that made Merlin truly think about what they had been saying before. Gwaine was right; if he went to Morgause knowing he might lose, he was effectively signing their death warrants. Morgause would come for Arthur, and judging by the way he seemed to have them all wrapped around his finger, they would all fight for him. They would fight against someone with magic stronger than this lifetime had allowed them to have, and Morgause would kill them all.

“Done,” Arthur announced, holding out the glass. Merlin had to laugh as Elyan reached up and took it from him, the action simply confirming his thoughts that they would do anything for their king. The sit down and the drink had helped give Arthur a little bit of energy back and he slithered off Merlin’s lap again, running through to the bedroom and coming back only seconds later with Aithusa clutched in his hands. He went straight to Leon, dumping the dragon on his lap.

“Play?” He asked innocently, eyes shining as he looked up at the man. Merlin grinned. There was more to this than the innocent playtime of a five year old. He had chosen Leon because the man –apart from Merlin- was the only other one that had been there when they had ridden out to face the dragon the first time around. No doubt Arthur didn’t want to simply play, he wanted some sort of re-enactment. Judging by the way Leon glanced around the room, realised that everyone else was there but it was only him that Arthur had approached, he realised it as well. He stood up and hoisted Arthur into his arms, carrying him down the hallway so they could play without tripping everyone else up. When Arthur’s pretend roar came floating back down towards the lounge barely a few minutes later, Merlin knew they had just been given some more time.

“Freya?” Taking her hand, Merlin gestured for the woman to join him on the sofa. She did so, an expectant smile on her face. It was as if she knew what Merlin was about to ask. He still did so with a heavy heart, quizzing her about what she knew about Morgause and Cendred. It wasn’t much in all reality, the two of them having kept themselves to themselves and tried to keep Arthur out of the main part of the hospital as much as they could. Freya apparently was wondering whether she was the first nurse that had been abducted because of getting too close to Arthur, but considering Arthur hadn’t mentioned any other names, Merlin just had to hope not.

“There was another nurse that he hated,” the girl eventually mused, leaning back on the sofa and looking exhausted. “And to be honest, she creeped me out as well. Nimueh was her name. Arthur used to hate his sessions with her, it would always take me hours to get him to calm down again. Is she one of us as well?”

Merlin swore, running his fingers through his hair. Why hadn’t Nimueh turned up on any of their searches? It wasn’t exactly as if it was a common name, yet the woman had just seemed to have vanished. Merlin didn’t think it was because of Morgause, Nimueh was too devious to be caught out by someone like that. But where did she fit into all of this? He had never known whether she wanted Arthur dead or not. She had certainly tried to get in the way of destiny, but Merlin’s more than Arthur’s. She had almost had a sense of protectiveness over Arthur.

Merlin suddenly sat up straighter, his mind racing. What if Morgause wasn’t the only one to want to get hold of the young king? Nimueh had wanted revenge on Uther because of how doing as he asked had resulted in the persecution of magic and her being thrown from Camelot and hunted. Yet she had also been partly responsible for Arthur’s birth. What if she was the one to have set Uther up in order to take the man’s son from him, only to find that someone had actually got there first?

“Merlin?” Gwen came back from the kitchen, passing him a mug but looking somewhat startled at the look on his face. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

“We need to keep Arthur in sight,” Merlin muttered, making sure his voice was low so that it didn’t carry to where a little boy was no doubt playing happily. “For I have a feeling that Morgause is not the only one trying to claim him. Someone wants him even more than that, wants him rather than just as a way of getting to me.”

“Who?”

“Nimueh.”

“The one..?”

“Who tried to poison me, yes. She’s powerful, Gwen. Her powers outstripped mine before, I didn’t know what I was capable of until I killed her. What if the same is true this time? What if she is more powerful than me?”

“She’ll also have to go through us all,” Gwen said fiercely and Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. He was never going to be in this on his own.


	19. Chapter 19

Merlin had a strong sense of de-ja-vu. Once again, the entire team were surrounding him as they planned to make a move on the house they suspected of belonging to Morgause. With Nimueh now in the mix as well, Merlin knew they couldn’t wait any longer. Nimueh would have her own agenda. If she appeared to be working for Morgause now, it was only because it suited her to do so and no doubt let someone else do the dirty work for her. But Merlin was sure now Arthur had vanished from their clutches, the more powerful witch would be trying to find him herself.  They had to deal with one threat before they could focus on the other, and Morgause seemed like the easier option. If nothing else, they knew what she wanted; Merlin and Arthur. With Nimueh, they had no idea.

After putting Arthur to bed that night, they had made the plan there and then. It was simple; they went to the house and dealt with whatever they found there. Merlin was sure that if he and Morgana combined forces, it would be enough to neutralise the witch. Leon and Gwaine were coming with them, making sure their backs were covered if Morgause offered more of a fight than they were expecting. But Percival, Lancelot and Elyan were going back to the hospital. They were to find Elena if they could, but their main task was to take down Cendred. Merlin had made it clear that he didn’t particularly care how they did it, but they weren’t to kill him. They had to stay true to their values if they were going to be able to protect Arthur. He knew those men, knew they were noble enough to take his words to heart. The only way Cendred would end up dead would be if it was their only choice. Merlin had also made it clear that they were to do whatever it took to make sure they came back alive themselves.

A few hours sleep sprawled in various places across the lounge had been all they had had time for. The urgency over discovering Nimueh’s involvement seemed to have seeped from Merlin onto the rest of the team. Both Morgana and Gwen remembered the havoc she had created back in Camelot, even if they didn’t realise the full extent. That had been enough for Leon, Elyan and Lancelot to instantly react as well and it had spiralled off from there. Dawn had come too fast for Merlin’s liking and while the rest of the team talked quietly in the lounge (he refused to admit they were saying goodbye in case something went wrong, despite Gwen’s tears informing him otherwise), Merlin found himself hovering in the doorway of his room. Arthur was curled up, fast asleep with Aithusa clutched to his chest and his thumb in his mouth.

Merlin inched silently into the room, crouching down by the bed and brushing a stray lock of hair from Arthur’s forehead. The little boy’s face screwed up and he rubbed his nose.

“Do I have to get up?” he whispered, his voice heavily lined with sleep.

“No, Arthur. You sleep a bit longer. We’ll have pancakes for breakfast when it is time to get up, sound good?”

“’kay….” Arthur was back asleep before the word finished escaping from him and Merlin knew that he had never truly woken up. Fondness swelled within him in a way he didn’t think was possible and he tugged the blankets up over the young boy. For a moment, Merlin could only stand there, looking down at the child they were desperately trying to save. But he knew the rest of the team were waiting for him and their own goodbyes wouldn’t have been any easier than his. He left the room, only to find his mother and Freya waiting for him. Hunith simply pulled him into a tight hug, expressing all she could through that one embrace and then moved into the room to make sure that Arthur had settled. Freya took his hand shyly.

“Make sure you come back,” she whispered, pressing a fleeting kiss to his cheek and hurrying away. Merlin was touched, but he knew it was just her being kind. There could now be no denying the looks passing between her and Percival. With a small smile on his face, he headed back to the lounge. Gwen was clinging onto Lancelot’s arm and Leon and Morgana were hand in hand.

“Everyone knows what they need to do?” Merlin spoke softly, never having been one for speeches. There was a reason that Arthur had been King and he had just been a servant before. He was better at working things from behind the scenes. He was met by nods and a soft murmur, no one – not even Gwaine – feeling the need to break the quiet atmosphere. Merlin took a deep breath.

“If anyone wants to stay behind… I can’t ask you to do this…”

“He is our king and we took vows. We’re coming with you.” Leon responded quietly, clearly speaking for them all. For the second time that morning, Merlin felt a swell of affection for those around him.

“Then let’s save our king,” he muttered, leading the way to the front door. The moment was ruined slightly when he managed to drop the keys trying to unlock it, but it was enough for the tension to already be broken. They spilled out onto the pavement, merlin’s four piling into Leon’s car and Percival taking the wheel of Gwaine’s car with a  strong warning not to come back if he scratched the paintwork. The streets were deserted, the sun just beginning to rise as the engines shattered the silence. Merlin looked back at the flat to see Gwen softly shutting the door with a heavy expression and Merlin steeled himself.

“Let’s do this.” Leon touched his foot to the pedal as Merlin spoke and the car rolled down the road.

No one spoke as they journeyed towards their destination. It wasn’t as if they had anything to say. They all knew the risks, and they all knew what would happen if they were to fail. Not only would they most likely not be getting out of this alive, they would lose Arthur for good. Despite the orders not to kill Cendred if they would help it, Merlin was painfully aware that nothing had been agreed about what should be done to Morgause. Despite Morgana being firmly on their side without a doubt this time around, Merlin wasn’t sure what it would do to her if she watched Morgause die.

The journey didn’t take long, yet to Merlin it felt like a lifetime. His mind was racing over surprises and traps that Morgause might have in store for them before he forced himself to calm down. She didn’t know they were coming and had no idea they even knew about the house. There was no reason why this wouldn’t go according to plan. Leon parked further down the street and the four climbed out in silence. There was no sign that the house belonged to an evil witch who wanted them all dead.

Merlin sent out a spark of magic to enter the house before they did. It would have provided a warning if Morgause was in there for she would have been able to sense the magic. But at least then they would know what they were about to walk in on. To Merlin’s delight, the house seemed empty. Morgana made to magic open the door, but Gwaine got there first and simply kicked it down. Judging by the look on his face, he had wanted to do that for a long time and the others let him have his moment of glory. As soon as it was open, they all disappeared inside and Merlin shut the door behind them. The feeling of entrapment wasn’t comfortable, but it was better than Morgause being forewarned that they were here.

Merlin didn’t even need to look around to know that they were in the right place. He could feel the magic in the air and judging by the way that Morgana suddenly stepped closer to Leon, so could she. It didn’t take them long to search it from top to bottom, and the only sign that anyone ever came here was a few pieces of long-life food in the kitchen and a made up bed in the upstairs.

“What if she doesn’t come back?” Leon muttered and Merlin suddenly realised he had a point. But then he felt the magic tingling around him and grimaced.

“Something tells me she knows we are here. She’ll be back.” He should have known, or at least guessed by how easy it was to break in. Even if she didn’t have anything here to steal, Morgause was not the sort of person to let someone break into her house and then let them go again. Judging by the way his own magic began to react, Merlin had a feeling she was already on the way.

“Gwaine, Leon, find somewhere to hide and stay out of sight. She doesn’t necessarily know we are all here. Morgana, crouch behind that sofa. She’ll come for me and I’ll engage her for as long as I can. But when she is focusing all her magic on me, take her from behind.”

“What if I’m not strong enough?” Morgana whispered. She had already tackled Morgause once and it had only been through punching the witch she had managed to get away. Merlin met her eyes, deciding the truth was better than trying to  make her feel alright.

“Then I’m dead.” He said bluntly and Morgana nodded. It seemed to give her an inner courage and her eyes practically glowed with determination.

“I won’t let you down,” she promised, taking up position behind the sofa just as Gwaine and Leon stepped back into the shadows of the door. Morgause must have left the hospital – if that was where she had been – the second she felt them entering for Merlin could feel that she was close. He breathed in deeply, thinking of Arthur as he let his magic fill him up. The king was the one person who had always helped him to focus his magic and Merlin knew that if they failed in this, it would be Arthur who truly paid the price. He took up position in the centre of the room, feeling his magic truly come alive as the front door burst open. Within the blink of an eye, Morgause was in the room.

To Merlin’s delight, all of her attention seemed to be locked on him.

“Where is he?” Morgause snarled, stepping towards him. Merlin took a step back and her eyes widened in delight. She clearly thought that he was afraid, but he was just trying to draw her further in.

“I’m not telling you. You’ll never get your hands on him again.” Merlin said calmly, knowing that he was baiting her. He still hadn’t figured out what they were going to do if they managed to get the upper hand and his mind was racing. Morgause’s lip curled as she sneered.

“You think too much of yourself, _servant._ ” Her hand shot out and Merlin found himself thrown against the wall, pinned there.  Morgana looked like she was about to rise from behind the sofa and he shook his head a tiny amount.

“Maybe. But arrogance has always been your biggest weakness, Morgause. You think you are more powerful than you are.” Merlin jerked his head, his eyes flaring gold as he slipped free of her spell and slid down the wall. There was a look of outrage on her face as she flung more magic at him, but Merlin brushed it aside this time. He knew that he was making it look effortless, but in all honesty he was struggling. He knew that he was more powerful, he _was_ magic after all. But these spells were dark and Morgause anger was lending her strength.

No sooner had Merlin deflected one spell when another came at him, followed by another. Despite being able to keep himself safe, Merlin knew he didn’t have the strength to attack back, not without leaving himself open and vulnerable. He could feel the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead and when he slipped to his knees as he tried to avoid a spell, he knew the time had come.

“Now!” As Morgause made to turn, Merlin shot his own spell at her and she was forced to once again focus on him. Morgana leapt to her feet and let her own magic fly at the woman who had once been her sister. Morgause yelled in surprise, slashing her arm through the air as her eyes burned with magic. Morgana didn’t stand a chance as she was thrown, and Merlin only just managed to soften her fall with a cushion of magic. Leon leapt from the shadows with a shout of anger and bowled into Morgause. She threw him off just as easily as she threw off Morgana, but then Gwaine was moving forward. Although he too was sent stumbling backwards, Merlin could see that she was tiring. While she was still down on the floor, he sent another spell towards her.

Morgana stayed in a crumpled heap, but the rest of the team quickly fell into a pattern. One at a time they would force Morgause to defend herself from different directions, not allowing her off the floor or giving her the chance to become offensive again rather than defensive.

Eventually, Gwaine managed to pin her wrists to the floor over her head while Leon held her legs down. She was panting, her eyes showing some of the same exhaustion that Merlin himself was feeling. This battle even in their day would have been exhausting, let alone when both had limited magic. Merlin kept his hand outstretched as he walked towards her and knew that gold was still glowing in his eyes even if it wasn't with the same intensity as before. Morgause glared up at him.

“Go on then. Kill me, just like you did the first time around. Hide behind your magic, show them who you truly are.” It was her goading that meant Merlin knew they could not kill her. Not like this, not swooping to her level when they had her down and defenceless. But they couldn’t just let her up again, for Merlin knew they would be dead before they walked out of the door. An idea came to mind and he glanced towards Leon. The ex-knight seemed to read in Merlin’s expression what he wanted to do and he nodded softly, granting permission and the fact that he would support Merlin’s choice.

Merlin bent down next to her. Morgause tried to pull away as he rested his hand on her forehead. Vile words spilled from her mouth and Gwaine eventually sighed. He shifted his grip so that he was just holding her wrists in one hand and clamped the other over her mouth. The look of outrage on Morgause face would have been funny if the situation wasn’t so serious. Merlin took in a deep breath, pulling all the magic he had. He only had one shot at this, and he wasn’t entirely sure whether he had the power or not to actually do it. But there was nothing else he could think of doing.

Closing his eyes to be able to concentrate better, Merlin just let his magic act instinctively, forcing it to obey his will. Words that he didn’t know he remembered rolled from his mouth and Morgause arched under his touch, trying to break away as she clearly recognised what he was doing. But Merlin kept the contact, channelling his magic and forcing it into her mind. It was only what she herself had planned to do to Arthur.

After what felt like a lifetime, he fell back, panting as his grip on the magic snapped. He could see Morgana stirring out of the corner of his eye and Merlin was glad, for he knew that he didn’t have the strength to even call upon his magic any more. His limbs were trembling and his breath was coming in short gasps as he nodded to Leon and Gwaine to tell them to pull back. If this hadn’t worked, he knew that he had left the defenceless. Morgause’s eyes were shut and her chest rising and falling rapidly. As the knights drew back, her eyes opened.

For a moment, she simply lay there before sitting up sharply and looking around with a startled expression.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? Where is here? Where am I?” Her eyes widened in panic. “ _Who_ am I?”

Merlin fell back properly, sagging in relief. He had done it. Morgause had no memories of their previous lifetime. He hadn’t meant to take _all_ the memories to leave her in such a state, but his magic had taken control.

“I think it is time to return her to the hospital,” he muttered hoarsely and Morgause looked at him with frightened eyes.

“What hospital?” Merlin let Leon gently stand her up, amazed at how the man could be soothing. It was true she had no idea who she was, but they did. And they knew what she had been capable of. But Merlin knew she was no longer a threat.

Now was the time to go and help the others with Cendred. With any luck, they would have him neutralised and Merlin would just need some time to regain his strength before he knew he would be able to repeat the spell and strip the man of his identity as well. They wouldn’t leave them helpless, they would make sure they were cared for.

But Merlin would also make sure there was no way that they could go after his destiny again.


	20. Chapter 20

The journey to the hospital was tense. Morgause was terrified and it was taking all of Leon’s calmness in order to stop her from completely freaking out. Merlin might have felt sorry for her if it wasn’t for remembering she planned to use Arthur against him in order to strip his powers away. But did that make him any different considering that was exactly what he had just done to her?

Ignoring the commotion in the back, Merlin lent his head against the window and sighed. Gwaine was driving, but glanced over at his friend. He seemed to know what was going through Merlin’s mind for he took his hand off the wheel for a split second to squeeze Merlin’s shoulder.

“You had no choice.”

“Really?” Merlin muttered, glancing in the mirror to where Morgause was practically sobbing. “I could have just knocked her out or something like that.”

“And what would happen when she gained consciousness and was even angrier at you than she was already. She wanted you dead, Merlin. And she wanted Arthur for her own. She wouldn’t have given up on that. At least you spared her, and hopefully this time she’ll actually be able to make good in the world.”

“If she ever gains a sense of identity again.” Gwaine turned his eyes back to the road and Merlin knew that he was being difficult. Deep down, he knew that he would have done the same thing again. This wasn’t just about protecting Arthur, or even protecting his friends. He knew if the witch got hold of his destiny again, he would be helpless but to do as she said. And if she had his magic combined with her own, there would be no telling what havoc she would unleash on the world and there would be no one to stop her. Merlin was fully aware that Morgause had no intention of leaving him alive once she had stripped his magic from him.

What he didn’t know, however, was what he was going to do about Cendred. The man wasn’t as much of a threat, he could only do what any human could do; he had no powers. The team would be enough to stop him, but did they want to spend the rest of their lives either fighting or running? Not to mention they had no idea who else from their time was out there. If Cendred forged alliances, if he used what happened to Morgause as a way of fuelling people against Merlin, the warlock was fully aware that they would be raising Arthur in a war-zone. He knew that he would do whatever he could to avoid that, he just wasn’t sure if he could kill someone.

Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime to Merlin considering he had been left alone with his thoughts for the entire journey, they were pulling into the hospital. Morgause had fallen quiet yet was staring at the building with wide eyes, clutching onto Leon. Luckily, despite what Merlin knew had gone on inside, he also knew the rest of the hospital was just that. They would be able to find somewhere safe to leave Morgause. He wanted to stop her, but now that was done, he found that he wanted to help.

Gwaine pulled around to the back and all four got out.

“I’ll take her, try and come up with some story about what happened and make sure that she is in capable hands. You two go and find the others and see what needs to be done about Cendred.” Merlin nodded at Leon’s words, knowing the man couldn’t leave Morgause now.

“Come and find us when you are done, we might need your help,” Merlin muttered, already beginning to walk away. He couldn’t take looking at Morgause any longer. Leon and Gwaine shared a couple of words before the latter was hurrying to catch up with Merlin. The two men didn’t say anything, knowing that words were not needed to express what was going through their minds.

As soon as Merlin found a small side-door, he used his magic to force it open and the pair slipped in. For a moment, they both simply stood in the corridor they had emerged in, trying to work out where they were. Or more precisely, where they needed to go. Merlin intended to use his magic again, but he wasn’t entirely sure whether it would help. Eventually, Gwaine just rolled his eyes, stuck his hand in his pocket, pulled out his phone and called Elyan. To both of their surprise, Elyan picked up.

“Where are you?”

“ _The same place that Morgana found Arthur. We’re outside the isolation room. I’m guessing you are here then?”_

Gwaine confirmed that they were indeed in the hospital and Merlin realised he did know the way. It was as if his magic could detect the route he had taken before, and where Arthur had been. Gwaine knew not to question him when he suddenly took off in this manner and quickly fell in behind. It didn’t take long until the outline of Percival and Elyan could be seen. Both Merlin and Gwaine hurried up to them, realising they were standing looking into the isolation room.

Merlin glanced in, confirming his thoughts they had managed to lock Cendred in. It was reflective glass, allowing them to see in but not for him to see out. Judging from what Morgana had explained about where she had found Arthur, this was a slightly different room. There was absolutely nothing in there at all, apart from the pacing Cendred. Merlin took a closer look and found himself gasping.

“What did you do to him?” He all but yelped. Cendred was covered in bruises, a trickle of blood running from his temple down his cheek. He knew that the doctor would have potentially offered a fight, and that against Percival he wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. But even so, Merlin had expected that if there had been a fight, they would have restrained him better than locking him in a room that they still had to get him out of at a later date. Elyan shrugged.

“It wasn’t us. We got here as planned, then realised that we couldn’t find him anywhere. We were just searching this wing, working out whether we should venture into the main part of the hospital. You know, now Arthur isn’t here whether they actually had to do their job. But then Percy glanced in as we walked past and found Cendred already in here. Lance is in his office trying to pull up a security feed to work out what happened. Could it have been Morgause?”

Merlin thought for a moment. Potentially it could have been Morgause – she hadn’t been at the house when they had arrived and it would have taken this team longer to get to the hospital than it did for them to go to her home. She might have had the time, but Merlin found that he was shaking his head. If she had turned on Cendred, she would have been either angry or satisfied at getting him out of the way. Merlin hadn’t felt any of that coming from her, the emotions had only appeared once she had felt they were there.

“No. Someone else did this. I’ll go and help Lancelot.” Leaving Gwaine with the other two, Merlin allowed himself to be pointed down the hall towards where Cendred’s office had been. There was an uncomfortable feeling niggling in his gut. This should have been good. Someone had made their life easier by taking Cendred out of the equation before he had the chance to hurt anyone. But who else knew who he was? Who else would see him as a threat? Morgause might have wanted him out of the way, but Merlin was sure she wouldn’t act yet, not when she still didn’t have what she wanted. In a way, he hoped it was Morgause, as that would mean it was no longer a problem. But something told Merlin it was more complicated than that.

It didn’t take him long to find the office and Lancelot leaning towards a computer screen. Judging by the tension in his posture, Merlin could only assume he was looking through security footage in order to try and establish what had happened. But considering the tension in his body, Merlin was equally as sure that he wasn’t having much luck. Even if Cendred had done something to make the computers’ hard to crack, that wasn’t normally enough to stop Lance from finding what he wanted. Merlin’s sense of foreboding only increased as he cleared his throat softly to indicate his presence. Lancelot immediately looked around.

“Merlin, thank goodness. I could really use your help.”

“You know technology doesn’t like me,” Merlin muttered, but moved further into the office even as he spoke. He hitched himself up onto the desk and leant around until he could see the screen as well.

“I don’t think it likes magic,” Lancelot muttered, so vehemently that Merlin was taken aback. Out of all of their friends, he was still the most relaxed about what Merlin could do.

“What do you mean?”

“Watch.” Rather than explain anything else, Lancelot just tapped in a few keys. Merlin watched as footage began obviously playing itself out on the screen. He blinked.

“I don’t get it.”

“Now watch.” The combination of keys that Lancelot tapped in was lost on Merlin, but the effect was not. He watched as Lancelot went back a few hours to when Cendred was walking down the corridor. None of his injuries were present then. Merlin stayed quiet, watching closely as Lancelot simply hit play and sat back on his chair. Cendred walked towards his office, his eyes widened in alarm and then the screen went black. Merlin could see that the timer was still running, the footage was still supposedly recording yet nothing could be seen. Lancelot once again tapped on a few keys until fifteen minutes had passed, and without him doing anything, the screen came back to life again.

“Someone stopped it?” Merlin asked quietly, the feeling in his gut only intensifying once again as Lancelot nodded.

“It wasn’t tampered with later, I would have been able to tell. This happened at the time.”

“What about the footage of isolation? Can we see him arriving there?” Lancelot shook his head, the frustration obvious on his face. Merlin had never known something technical to beat his friend, and he could see how much this was grating on him.

“The same thing happens. It blacks out. One moment it’s empty, the screen blackens for three minutes, then all flairs back into life. It’s almost like someone is magically shielding themselves.”

Merlin bit his lip, shaking his head as he thought hard. He was almost certain it wasn’t Morgause, but he couldn’t be sure. Cendred could have just pushed her a little bit too far and she may have snapped considering they were losing everything they had been working for. But he had no way of asking her, not since she now had no memory. He sighed, slipping off the desk.

“I have to talk to him.”

“Are you mad? He might not have magic but he wouldn’t need much of an invitation to kill you, Merlin.”

“Then I won’t go in alone. Lance, I stripped Morgause’s magic and memories. She can’t tell us. Someone got the better of him, and I would love to know who. Just because they are against Cendred doesn’t mean they are with us and I have to know if there is something still a threat to Arthur.” To Merlin’s relief, Lancelot nodded in understanding as he too stood up and gestured towards the door.

“At least take Percival in with you?” he cautioned. Merlin tried not to roll his eyes; he had magic, he was sure that he could handle himself. But out of respect for his friend, he nodded.

“I will. Can you see if you can find Elena? Take Gwaine with you, I would rather keep him out of the way for this?” It was Lancelot’s turn to nod this time and the pair left the office. Merlin knew that Gwaine had his best interests at heart, but he did tend to get a little overprotective at times. He let Lancelot mutter whatever excuse he was using to pull Gwaine away and then Merlin stepped towards the door.

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Elyan muttered and this time, Merlin couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“I do have magic, you know, I can handle him. But as it is, I was planning on taking Percival with me.” The two men didn’t have anything they could say to that, so Elyan simply swiped a card through the door. Where they had got it from, Merlin didn’t know. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know. Cendred heard the door opening and immediately lunged for it. Percival made to step through, but Merlin just let his hand fling out and for the man to go flying backwards. If he was honest, that was all Merlin was capable of at the moment, the fight with Morgause had drained him more than he thought it would have done. But Cendred didn’t need to know that, and the right effect had happened as the man stayed back, clearly not risking being thrown again. Merlin felt Percival’s presence behind him and had never been so grateful for the man being there as he was in that moment.

“What do you want, _boy?”_

“Who did this to you, Cendred?” Merlin responded coolly. He refused to allow himself to be baited, knowing that he didn’t have the power right now to defend himself. Not to mention he had no intention of letting Cendred out of this room, the man was simply too dangerous. If he realised that Merlin was bluffing, the warlock didn’t want to know what would happen.

“You mean you haven’t already figured it out? Haven’t put all the pieces together?” There was nothing other than mockery in Cendred’s voice and it took all of Merlin’s control to keep his face impassive. He knew that he couldn’t let the man know how worried this was making him or how hard his heart was racing. Cendred might have been mocking, but Merlin could detect that part of him did mean what he was saying. He believed Merlin could have figured it out, meaning that it was someone from their past.

“Was it Morgause?” He didn’t have time for games, he needed answers. Cendred simply threw back his head and laughed.

“That bitch? She wouldn’t dare turn on me. Besides, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“The Morgause you knew is as good as dead,” Merlin shot back. The colour drained from Cendred’s face and for the first time, he looked unsure of himself.

“You killed her? Again?”

“I never killed her the first time around, but no. Her body is still alive, at least. She has no memory of who she was and no magic. Unless you would also like to be turned into a snivelling wreck, I suggest you tell me who got the better of you.”

The scowl on Cendred’s face would have made Merlin smile if it had been any other situation. Percival stepped forward and that somehow was enough for Cendred to crack. He glared at them – making Merlin realise how grateful he was the man didn’t have magic – before sighing.

“You really should know. She’s been after him since he was born. She didn’t get him last time, she wants him this time instead.”

“Answer the question,” Percival growled, but Merlin’s mind was racing. Who would have known Arthur from birth in their previous life well enough to think that they had some sort of claim to him? Merlin gasped, a name he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of before coming into his head. Arthur had muttered it in the grips of a nightmare more than once, yet Merlin hadn’t even considered she might be behind this.

“Nimueh?” He breathed and Cendred just gave a curt nod. Merlin was out of the cell like a shot, already beginning to run back along the corridors. He could hear Percival and Elyan hurrying along behind him and just assumed they had left Cendred where he was. Knowing they weren’t all going to fit into one car anyway, he didn’t bother waiting for the others as he used his magic to unlock Gwaine’s car and start the engine. Just before he pulled off, Elyan and Percival threw themselves in. Merlin didn’t acknowledge them, but somewhere in the back of his mind he was grateful he wasn’t doing this alone.

The drive from the hospital was the craziest one he had ever done, but no one commented on it. He had left Arthur effectively unprotected. Nimueh must have known they would go for Morgause, she must have been bidding her time until she knew they would be out of the way. Cursing himself for being so stupid, Merlin pushed the car recklessly, barely even stopping in time as he slammed on the breaks outside the flat. Leaving Elyan to lock the car, Merlin took the steps two at a time, Percival on his heels.

“Arthur!” Merlin felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest when there was no answer to his call. He tore into the flat, stopping short with a gasp. His mother, Gwen and Freya were both lying on the floor, unmoving. There was what looked like a burn mark across one wall and he could make out a pair of heels that could only belong to Morgana from down the hallway. He moved as if in a dream, his magic confirming his mother and Freya were simply unconscious and Morgana was also out cold because of the bloody wound on the back of her head.

But it didn’t matter how thoroughly he searched the flat, Merlin knew he wouldn’t find Arthur.

The boy was gone.


	21. Chapter 21

Arthur had been sulking. There was no other word for it. Merlin had gone off somewhere without him again and he didn’t like it. He was the one who was king, why didn’t he get to go along on the adventures as well? He knew they were doing something dangerous, there had been that sort of atmosphere in the flat, the one they thought he didn’t notice.

But he did notice. He knew they had gone somewhere that offered the possibility of them not coming back again and Arthur hated it. He had refused breakfast, scowled at Freya the whole time that she had tried to make him life and ignored Hunith. Eventually, he had been sent to his room and told to stay there until he was ready to behave properly.

Arthur didn’t particularly mind though. He had spent so long in the room at the hospital that he knew how to occupy himself in a small space like that. But this time, he not only had Aithusa, he had Merlin’s bear as well. For a five year old, that was more than enough to keep him occupied for an hour without realising that he was supposed to be thinking about how he had been behaving. But when Arthur looked up to find that Freya was watching him play with a small smile on her face, he knew that he had been forgiven.

She had come in and joined in with his game the way she used to do at the hospital before Hunith had asked for her help with lunch. Arthur was significantly happier – not to mention hungry – by the time Freya left him and knew by the time Hunith came to get him for lunch, he would be ready to behave. He knew that Morgana and Gwen were somewhere in the flat, but the last he had seen of the two women, they had been talking about flowers in such an animated way that Arthur had promptly fled. He didn’t understand grown-ups sometimes, despite having the memories of one, and he understood women even less. Something told him that wasn’t just because he was five; he hadn’t understood them the first time around either.

But for now, he was more than content to sit on the floor playing with his toys and waiting to be told that he could come out again. So when he heard someone knock at the door, Arthur frowned.

He knew Merlin wouldn’t knock, and he knew the others also had a way in that wouldn’t involve someone having to go to the door. Gaius knocked, but Arthur had overheard them talking the night before and knew that the doctor wouldn’t come around while Merlin wasn’t there, not until Arthur regained his courage. A cold feeling was beginning to settle in Arthur’s tummy as he realised that he didn’t know who was at the door and didn’t think that anything good would come of that.

He edged to the bedroom door, clutching Aithusa tightly in one hand as he watched Morgana disappear to answer it. There came a murmur of voices, a sparking sound in the air that Arthur was beginning to identify as magic and a slam as the door clearly shut. Morgana hurried back through, pausing as she called the others into the lounge.  Arthur stayed where he was, not liking how he was feeling.

“Whoever that woman is, she has magic,” Morgana muttered, but her voice wasn’t low enough. Arthur heard, instantly thinking of Morgause and giving a small cry. The ladies all turned towards him as he disappeared back into the bedroom, but none were given the chance to follow him. Arthur heard the door slamming open again followed by a cry of pain. He heard a few thuds and dived under the bed, knowing that it was a place of safety.

“Arthur, _run!”_ Morgana seemed to scream before there came a final sickening thud and just a single pair of footsteps heading this way. Arthur pressed Aithusa against his mouth to muffle his cry, knowing that it wasn’t any of his friends as he folded himself up as small as he could go. The sound of heels stopped and Arthur saw a flash of a red dress as the owner walked into the bedroom. There was only one person he knew who wore red and had magic, and he knew it wasn’t going to end well for him.

He pressed his back against the wall and held his breath, wondering if she just wouldn’t realise where he was.

“Out you come, Arthur.”

He should have known. She always found him, it didn’t matter where he tried to hide. Despite the fact that she hadn’t yet looked under the bed and so couldn’t see him, Arthur still shook his head and curled up tighter.

“Out you come or I’ll make your friends hurt more than just having a sleep.” Even though the words were still said in a calm and soothing manner, Arthur could hear the threat underneath. He knew what Nimueh was capable of, even if she hadn’t shown it in this lifetime. He didn’t think pushing her would be a good idea, not without Merlin there to hide behind. Keeping Aithusa clutched firmly to his chest, Arthur slowly crawled out from under the bed. His eyes were locked on the floor as he stood up, but a quick glance told him that Nimueh was sitting on Merlin’s bed, her legs crossed and inspecting her nails as if she was bored.

“There you are, good boy. Now, come along, we haven’t got all day.” She climbed to her feet, but Arthur scurried backwards.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” he whispered, trying to sound like the brave king that he knew he had once been. Nimueh didn’t look scared as she looked down at him, but Arthur was sure she looked angry. He took that as a good sign, hoping it meant she didn’t expect him to disobey her. As she took a step towards him, Arthur darted around her legs and ran for the hallway. Morgana would protect him, because Merlin had told her too.

But as soon as he got into the hall, Arthur let out a soft scream. Morgana was simply lying on the floor, not moving and Arthur felt tears well up in his eyes even as he took a tentative step towards her. He knew that he had to get her to wake up, it would be the only way Nimueh would be made to leave. Morgana was the only one who could do it and Arthur practically threw himself down next to her, shaking her shoulder. When that didn’t work, he made Aithusa jump on her head in the same way that he had woken Merlin up the last few days, but that had no effect either.

“’Gana, please…” He whispered, hearing Nimueh come out of the room behind him. It didn’t matter how much he pleaded, Morgana didn’t so much as stir and Arthur could hear Nimueh getting closer. He jumped up again, sprinting through to the lounge and another scream – louder this time – escaped him when he saw that everyone else was also lying on the floor. He clutched Aithusa close to his chest, trying to take comfort from the toy despite knowing he was shaking. He didn’t know what else to do, so instead tried to run for the main door. Maybe Merlin would come back in time?

But he barely even made it a step before Nimueh had caught up with him. One slender arm looped around his waist, yet he was lifted clean off the floor. Arthur kicked and screamed, struggling as much as he could as the witch moved backwards. She sat on the sofa, effectively pulling Arthur onto her lap as she did so. It didn’t matter how much he fought to get free, Arthur could feel that he wouldn’t be getting out of her grip. Nimueh hushed him in almost the same way Hunith often did, but it contained none of the mother’s warmth and Arthur refused to stop fighting against her.

“That is enough,” Nimueh’s grip seemed to tighten and Arthur gasped when he realised that he could barely move at all. Her hand had drifted to his head as he had struggled, and there was nothing Arthur could do to stop her from stroking his hair. After a few moments, he realised she was doing more than that as he suddenly began fighting to keep his eyes open.

“There’s a good boy, no need for all the tears now, is there?” Arthur was too tired to be able to answer her. He managed to tighten his grip on Aithusa, but didn’t have the strength to fight any longer as he sagged back against his captor, leaning against her as his eyes flickered. He was vaguely aware of Nimueh standing up and somehow keeping Arthur in her arms. He let out a feeble protest, but knew that it was too late.

He was asleep before she even left the lounge.

MMM

“Mother? Mother, can you hear me?”

Merlin had his hand resting on his mother’s shoulder as he gently called her, trying to coax her back into the land of waking once more. He sounded calm and in control, but his eyes were burning gold. He was rewarded with a groan and looked around to see Percival helping Freya sit up. Lancelot already had Gwen in his arms, the young woman sobbing at the realisation that Arthur was gone. There was nothing Lancelot could do to truly comfort her, not when Merlin was only just holding himself in check. Leon was crouched over Morgana along with Gwaine as they tried to rouse her. The rest of the team had somehow caught wind of what was going on when Merlin had left the hospital and had been on his heels the whole time. The fact that Elena was standing nervously to one side – her memories having returned when she came into contact with the rest of them but not knowing them well enough to join in – showing that their time at the hospital hadn’t been completely for nothing.

“Merlin?” Merlin sighed in relief, sitting back slightly in order to help his mother sit up. She did so carefully, before her eyes widened in alarm.

“Arthur!” Merlin didn’t know she could move so fast as she tried to shoot to her feet. Luckily, Elyan was on hand to steady her as her body protested the sudden movement after spending so long out cold. Her hand flew to her mouth as Elyan stopped her heading towards the bedroom and she turned to face her son. Merlin knew that he should say something to comfort her, he knew they wouldn’t have stood a chance against Nimueh. He wasn’t sure that _he_ stood a chance, meaning there was nothing they could have done to stop her. The fact that they had all been in one room was a sign enough that they had tried. But while his magic refused to settle, he knew there was nothing he could say. She knew him better than that, would know that he was saying words he didn’t believe.

“Merlin, you have to help her.” Leon was by his side almost before he finished speaking, tugging the warlock over to Morgana. They hadn’t yet had any luck in making her so much as stir and Merlin knew that Gaius was already on his way. Not knowing what had knocked her out meant they had no way of knowing what the damage was. Merlin could feel the magic in the air, most of it being an alien sensation from where Nimueh had let lose her power. But he could also detect Morgana’s and knew the burn across the wall had been her doing, although what she was trying to achieve and whether she had even touched Nimueh was anyone’s guess. As much as Merlin wanted to immediately concentrate on getting Arthur back, he knew that he had to think about his friends as well.

He crouched down next to Morgana, letting his hand rest on the top of her head. Healing had never been his strong point, but he knew that if it had been something magical to knock her out, then he had more chance of rousing her than Gaius when the doctor arrived. He closed his eyes, channelling his magic as he let it drift into the woman under his touch. He could almost feel the air around them heat up as he willed the damage to be undone and was rewarded by a small groan as Morgana stirred slightly under his grip. Considering all the magic that he had already used that day, Merlin was amazed that he was able to do that much, but instantly felt himself paying the price. He weaved where he crouched, but luckily Gwaine had been watching him and simply hooked his hands under his friend’s shoulders, pulling Merlin back out of the way and forcing him down onto the sofa next to his mother. Merlin sagged back, wondering if he was about to pass out as he watched Leon gently stroke Morgana’s cheek, calling her back.

After just a few moments, her eyes opened and her fiancée was helping her to sit up. Unlike the other three, Morgana seemed to know immediately that Arthur had gone and her eyes locked on Merlin.

“I’m so sorry,” was the only thing that she said as she allowed Leon to comfort her. Lancelot held Gwen tighter as she let out another sob. Merlin forced himself to smile.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he muttered, despite kicking himself for leaving Arthur with them. He hadn’t thought about someone else being as much as a threat as Morgause, or the fact that Nimueh had always known how to play them. It didn’t matter whether it was this lifetime or the previous, she had always managed to get what she wanted and Merlin was sick of it. Every time Nimueh was involved, he truly felt like he was losing everything to her and it seemed that the passing of lifetimes hadn’t done anything to change that.

“It was. I knew she had magic as soon as I opened the door, I should have warded against it...”

“Do you know how to do that?” Merlin asked in genuine curiosity. He wasn’t sure he did, he just reacted. Morgana blushed.

“No. But I should have done more.”

“You are lucky to be alive, all of you. It wasn’t your fault and I don’t blame you. But right now, I’m going to get Arthur back.” Merlin stood up, feeling that his eyes were beginning to glow again. He couldn’t help it. His magic had always reacted to Arthur, especially in this lifetime. He didn’t know spells in the same way, he just acted on instinct and it had only been recently that he had learnt that instinct involved Arthur. He wouldn’t be able to calm down the magic until he had a lead on where Arthur was.

He stood up, preparing to walk to the door. What he was going to do when he got there, he had no idea, but he knew he couldn’t just sit there. He was stuck; his magic was reacting to Arthur having been taken yet he didn’t have the strength at that moment in time to actually do anything about it.

“I might be able to help,” Morgana muttered. Merlin didn’t mean to cast her such a disbelieving look, but his temper was running short.

“What do you mean, love?” Leon murmured, clearly seeing that Merlin was about to burst. Morgana just smirked and the look almost sent shivers down Merlin’s spine. It was identical to the looks that she had used to do back in Camelot when he was the only one who knew her true nature. But somehow, the look reassured him. Morgana would have won back then if it wasn’t for him. He was the only one had seen through her to be able to stop her. But what if that was still true now? Merlin had seen first hand how devious she could be. Morgana caught his eye and the grin widened.

“I didn’t just slam the door in her face,” she admitted, a slight blush beginning to work its way up her face. “I knew she had magic, and that it was powerful. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stop her, just hoped to hold her out until you got back. But as I shut the door, I put a tracking spell on it. It’s easier to do objects rather than people, she would have known I was casting on her and blocked it. But I did it like a net – it would have latched onto her as she stepped through. It is still there now, although faded from the amount of times it has been brushed against. But it caught her on the way in and the way out and if she took Arthur through the door…”

“Then it would be on him as well?” Merlin dared to ask, hope once again relighting in his chest as Morgana needed. He grinned, and that was when his mother stepped in.

“How long will this spell last?”

“As long as I need it to,” Morgana said, and Merlin had a feeling she had been practicing these. She was confident in her ability and he didn’t want to doubt her.

“Good. Then Merlin, you can go and get some rest.”

“But Mum…”

“You’ve used too much magic already today, you won’t stand a chance if you go up against Nimueh now and then there will be no hope for Arthur. If Morgana can trace her, then it doesn’t matter if you go now or next week. She won’t hurt Arthur, she wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of taking him if she meant him ill. Go and rest, my boy, then go and get your destiny back.”

Merlin had to admit, that sounded like a plan.


	22. Chapter 22

Despite being utterly exhausted and knowing that his magic was more drained than it had been for years, sleep did not come easily to Merlin. Part of his mind was telling him that he needed to get the sleep while he could, that he needed his full strength back to get Arthur back. He knew that in reality, they should be leaving it practically a few days before going after them, allowing both him and Morgana to regain their full powers and let the rest of the team recover from what just happened. But the other part of Merlin was telling him that he needed to be out there now, making sure that Arthur was okay and Nimueh wasn’t hurting him. Part of him knew that Nimueh wouldn’t go to these lengths if she meant Arthur harm, she would have just left him here.

But still, Merlin did know that he couldn’t do this alone, rested or not. Nimueh had been more powerful than him the first time around, it was only through grief that he had been able to defeat her. While it meant that he knew that he had the power within him somewhere, Merlin had no desire to feel that heart-wrenching pain of losing someone like that ever again, and knew that would not be what got them through this. Instead, it would be the team working together to find their king once again.

It must have been about three in the morning when he finally rolled off his bed and padded through to the lounge, knowing that he was just fooling himself believing that he would be able to sleep. The others had gone home to get some rest themselves, also knowing that once the mission started to get Arthur back, they would need their strength. Although the room was empty, there was still a lamp on and Merlin was grateful for the light as he sunk onto the sofa and combed his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t sure whether he would have just otherwise sat there in the dark, it suited his current mood.

But he hadn’t been sitting there for long when a noise drew his attention. Merlin was so on edge that he immediately just let his magic fill him up without stopping to think. If there was the slightest thing wrong right now, he wasn’t entirely sure he would be able to stop himself from lashing out. There was a sound coming from the kitchen and Merlin slowly stood up. He could practically feel the magic swarming to the surface and knew that it was making his eyes glow as his fingertips seemed to spark dangerously. His magic was as stressed as he was and all it was looking for was an excuse to lash out. If he stopped to think about it, Merlin knew that he should have been pleased that his magic had recovered enough in order to allow him to lash out, but all he was focusing on was the noise coming from the room adjacent to where he was.

Moving forward silently, Merlin let his hand shoot out, palm upwards as he reached the kitchen door. A blue orb shot from his hand, illuminating the kitchen brightly. Considering there had been no lights on in it, he knew that he certainly would have stunned whoever was inside. It was only at the last second that he remembered to look away himself. It wouldn’t have been the first time his defence was so good it wiped him out in the process, but the cry of alarm was familiar and Merlin felt the first tendrils of guilt.

“Gwaine?”

“Bloody hell, Merlin, who else did you expect? I do live here, you know!”

“It’s three in the morning,” Merlin protested, sending out another pulse of magic to neutralise the first and force the light to disappear faster than it would have done naturally. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

When the light had disappeared, Merlin reached out and flicked the kitchen light on to see his best friend standing there, eyes streaming and blinking rapidly as he tried to clear his eyes. Merlin grimaced in both sympathy and apology, unable to believe that he was so tense he had forgotten about the fact that he wasn’t in the flat alone. All he had been able to focus on was that Arthur wasn’t here with him, he had basically forgotten about everything else.

“Sorry.”

“You’ve done worse,” Gwaine shrugged as he finally stopped rubbing his eyes even if he did blink a few times in order to focus on Merlin. Despite himself, Merlin had to chuckle at that, wondering if Gwaine was referring to one of the rare arguments they had once had that resulted in Merlin using his magic to chuck water over his flatmate. Gwaine grinned easily, looking pleased with himself for making his friend smile as he moved back through to the lounge, bumping their shoulders companionably together as he passed the warlock. Merlin followed him.

“I even left you a light on, mate. Did you not think that someone else might have been up?” Merlin had no answer for Gwaine had just summed it all up in that one sentence. He didn’t think. At least, not about his own surroundings, not when his mind was too busy thinking about what could be happening to Arthur. He simply followed Gwaine’s lead and found himself sitting back on the sofa again.

“Merlin?” it was the quiet, serious note to Gwaine’s voice that reminded Merlin that he hadn’t answered any of the man’s questions yet. He shrugged, knowing that he wouldn’t truly need to say anything. Gwaine would know how he was feeling, he always had. It didn’t matter whether Merlin had been homesick when they first moved here, coming to terms with his magic again when their memories returned or frantically hunting for Arthur, Gwaine had always understood. Merlin didn’t know what he had done to deserve a friend like that.

“I need him back,” he eventually muttered, knowing that he did need to talk about it even if he hadn’t yet found the words for what he wanted to say. “To know that he is out there once again with someone who potentially means him harm…He’s too young, Gwaine.”

“He’s still our Arthur though,” the other man responded gently, a fond smile on his face that revealed he too was thinking about the five year old. Merlin opened his mouth to protest; how could the timid little boy still be the same king they had had back then? But then he froze, truly thinking about it. Arthur got the same glint in his eye as he had done back then. He still had that mischievous smirk that never ceased to land Merlin in some sort of trouble, and judging from what Merlin had seen, he still had the knights almost wrapped around his finger and got them to do anything he wanted. Although all he had to do now was smile rather than shout orders and they all jumped to do what he wanted. Gwaine was right. In a way, it was still the same Arthur that they had known.

“And if there is one thing I know about our king,” Gwaine continued, once again bumping his shoulder against Merlin’s. “Is that he never makes anyone’s life easy and certainly won’t be sitting there like a good boy for Nimueh. He’s a fighter, Merls. He will be okay, you’ll see.”

Gwaine stood up, clapping his hand down on his friend’s shoulder. “Try and get some sleep. You’re going to need your strength just to have the patience of listening to all of his stories about he defeated her single handed, just you wait and see.”

Gwaine moved away and Merlin sighed, once again running his hand through his hair. Just as Gwaine got to the door, Merlin called him back.

“Thanks.” Although the words were simply, Merlin didn’t think he had meant them so sincerely as he did right now. Judging by the small smile on Gwaine’s face, he knew that.

“Get some rest, Merls.” Gwaine disappeared but Merlin found himself standing up. Gwaine was right, Arthur always was a fighter and he had proved that he was just the same now as he had been. Nimueh wouldn’t be able to break him down, she wouldn’t have the time before they caught up with her.

But for now, Merlin was going to take Gwaine’s advice and try to get some more rest. He meandered back through to his room without really paying attention to where he was going before crashing down on his bed. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to sleep, but he was certainly going to try. Stretching out, he let his mind wander over to what he thought Arthur would be doing to try and make Nimueh’s life hell. A fond smile emerged on his face and before Merlin knew it, he had fallen asleep.

MMM

Merlin had no idea how right he was about Arthur trying to cause Nimueh as much trouble as possible. The young boy had no idea how long he had slept for, but he had woken up in the back of a car. Upon realising they had stopped for fuel somewhere, Arthur had immediately lunged for the door handle, trying to get out. All it took was one tug of the handle and he knew that he wouldn’t be getting out that way. But Arthur had spent too long being locked up and he was having none of it this time. Instead of falling back as he was originally intending on finding that the door was locked, he awkwardly climbed into the front of the car, banging his leg on the seats as he did so and reached for the driver’s door.

To his utter delight, he felt the handle begin to move. Arthur quickly squirmed forward, a grin spreading over his face as he managed to get the door open. Just as he pulled his legs around in order to be able to slide out of the corner, the light was cut off. The young boy looked up, determined that he wasn’t going to cry again. He was supposed to be a king and yet all he had done was need other people to look after him. Only upon seeing Nimueh standing there, one eyebrow raised almost as if she was amused by his attempts to get out, Arthur found that he was biting his lip in order to control himself.

She took control of the door, opening it properly. One glance around revealed she clearly believed that she was unobserved, for Nimueh reached in and dragged Arthur out almost by the collar of his shirt. The back door was unlocked and the child pushed into the car again. Arthur tried to scramble across the seats, but Nimueh was too fast for him. He was held in place and strapped in, the witch swirling her hand over the buckle for just a second. Arthur tried tugging at it, but he knew that she had just put a spell on it so that he wouldn’t be able to get out himself. Arthur scowled, his hand moving across the seat even as he tried to glare at her. Thankfully, Aithusa was still on the seat next to him and Arthur clutched the toy to him, pouting as moodily as he could manage. Nimueh rolled her eyes, the door slamming shut as she once again got into the front and started the engine.

Although she hadn’t put another spell on him as such, Arthur found that he wasn’t able to stay awake. She had only driven for a few minutes down the road before the child that he had fallen asleep again.

Next time Arthur awoke, he was on a bed. The room was dark and it made the child immediately squeak in fear. He hadn’t been in proper darkness since he had been at his house with his father. Arthur whimpered slightly; glad that Aithusa was still in his arms as he thought about his father for the first time in a while. He wanted the man to come for him now, wanted him to tell him that everything was going to be okay. But more than that, he wanted Merlin. Yet Nimueh was powerful, Arthur knew that from both this lifetime and the previous. What if Merlin wasn’t strong enough to come for him this time? What if… Arthur couldn’t stop the tears as another unpleasant thought ran through his mind. Merlin had gone to do something, that was why he hadn’t been in the flat. What if he never came back from what he had been going to do, and that he didn’t even know that Arthur was gone?  
  
What if no one knew and once again he was stuck waiting for someone to come and get him when they didn’t know where he was?

The thought was enough for Arthur to dive off the bed, intending to make a beeline for his usual hiding place. But just as he made to roll under the bed, something caught his eye. He could see light coming from under a crack in the door, and it was enough to give Arthur a small amount of courage. He landed on in a crouch, but froze. Very slowly, he stood up and moved towards the door, making sure he kept Aithusa clutched to him. He had to stand almost on tiptoes to be able to reach the handle and get enough weight behind it to be able to push down, but Arthur couldn’t believe his luck when the handle moved.

The door creaked open and Arthur paused. Dare he leave the room? He had no idea where he was and no clue as to where Nimueh was. The last thing he wanted was for her to lock him in in the same way that she had done in the car. But then again, he didn’t just want to be waiting for a rescue again. That was enough for Arthur to take a deep breath and move down the hallway. The place was huge, he could tell that just by how many doors were lining the corridor. Part of Arthur knew that meant he had lots of hiding places, but he also knew that he had lots of places to get lost in as well. That thought terrified him a little bit and he vowed not to go in any of them unless he had no choice. Just as he reached the end of the hallway, a set of stairs revealed themselves to be hidden behind a corner. Arthur paused, but even as he did so there came the sound of footsteps. Nimueh was moving around somewhere on the same floor that he was on, and that made up Arthur’s mind.

As quickly as he dared without slipping over, the boy ran for the stairs. Normally, he had to hold on in order to be able to get down them without falling, but somehow, his fear meant that he simply bounded down. The corridor he emerged on was the same as the one on the floor above, but there was one difference. The one difference that Arthur had been hoping for, knowing it would make all the difference as to whether his plan would work or not.

There was a door leading outside.

Arthur could still hear Nimueh’s steps coming through the ceiling and he hurried towards the door before she realised that he had left his room. He lunged for the door handle, but to his horror found that he couldn’t move it. He couldn’t tell if it was locked or just too stiff for him to move, but as Nimueh’s steps seemed to be heading for the stairs, he knew that he couldn’t wait around to find out.

A quick run up and down the corridor a few times revealed that these rooms were empty and that they would be offering no hiding place, not even for a five year old. Arthur suddenly remembered the large table near the door and turned for it, wondering if that would offer him sanctuary. He sped for it, but just as he made to dive to the floor, Nimueh appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ahh, there you are. Just in time, I won’t have to call you for dinner now. Sit down, Arthur.” Arthur shook his head, slowly backing away from her as he did so. He kept moving until he once again felt the door pressing into his back and knew there was nowhere else for him to go.

“I said, _sit down._ ” Nimueh snapped, gold infiltrating her eyes as she spoke. Arthur yelped, grabbing Aithusa tighter as he was lifted off the floor by the magic. It was gentle, just unnerving as it deposited him in a seat and tucked the chair so close to the table Arthur knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of it on his own.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Nimueh swept her dress around her as she took the seat opposite him, waving her hand in a vague direction. Arthur followed the gesture and felt his jaw drop at seeing two steaming plates floating through the air towards them. One landed in front of him and the child only realised then how hungry he was.

“Eat up, we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

“Why?” Arthur whispered, not touching the food despite his stomach protesting. He could be just as stubborn in this lifetime as in the last.

“Why what? Why would I want to take my son shopping?”

“I’m not…”

“You are, Arthur. Now, be quiet and eat up, you don’t want to get on the wrong side of your mother now, do you?” There was something so dangerous, so full of venom in Nimueh’s voice that Arthur shakily picked up a fork.

He thought that Morgause had been bad.

But Nimueh seemed to have actually gone insane, and he didn’t know what to do apart from slowly eat and wish that Merlin would hurry up and come for him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry that this has taken so long, really life was a real pain with assignments and whatever. All done now though so the updates should be back to normal. I'm so sorry again!

Arthur wasn’t sure whether Merlin would have been proud or furious with him for the way that he was acting. He had eaten the food that Nimueh had put in front of him, but only because he was hungry. It had been enough to get the witch to relax her guard though and she had simply chattered away as if she hadn’t just kidnapped him or been the nurse that he had been absolutely terrified of. Arthur was quite proud of the way he managed to just clutch Aithusa when she kept referring to herself as his mother, but knew that his anger must have been showing on his face due to the chiding that he kept getting. But when she had mentioned that it was time for them to go out, Arthur knew that he had to do something.

There was no doubt in the child’s mind that Merlin was coming for him. But how would Merlin know where to go unless they stayed in one place? Arthur had no idea where he was, and so had no idea how far they would have to travel in order to reach whatever shops Nimueh had in mind. What if they went out at the same time Merlin turned up and the warlock left, believing that Arthur wasn’t here?

So he had nodded obediently and then quietly muttered that he needed the toilet. Nimueh had practically beamed, clearly pleased that he was doing as he was told and pointed down the hallway. Arthur had slipped off his chair, moved towards the door she had pointed out and opened it. But the door opened outwards, blocking the view of the rest of the hall from where Nimueh was sitting and Arthur had taken his chance. Leaving it open so that she couldn’t see him, he had simply run down the corridor as fast as he could.

For the first time, Arthur found that he was using his memories of being a king. In general, they scared him. He was only five, he didn’t understand half of what was going through his head. It had happened to a different him, an adult him in a time that no longer existed. Knowing that he couldn’t exactly have told anyone at the hospital, he had simply kept quiet and learnt how to push them to one side so they didn’t take over his mind. But this time, Arthur was allowing them to come forth.

He could make it to the stairs without being seen, but didn’t think that leaving the ground floor would be a good idea. He might have been able to hide up there for a while, but what would happen when Nimueh came up the stairs herself, looking for him? There would be nowhere to run to and Arthur had had quite enough of being trapped already. He knew that he had to stay downstairs, but where to go?

As quietly as he could, Arthur began opening some of the other doors that lined the hallway. The first two he shut again instantly, the darkness of the room being enough to put him off. But at the third, there was a sliver of light coming from somewhere and Arthur grinned when he realised that it had a window. But more importantly; a window leading to the outside world. Checking that he was still alone, Arthur hurried across to the window, standing on tiptoes in order to peer out. It seemed to lead into some sort of garden, but he knew that must have a way back to a road somewhere. Pushing as hard as he could, the five year old strained as he slowly began edging the window open.

He was panting and almost trembling by the time it was open enough for him to be able to climb out. But then Arthur realised that he had another problem – he wasn’t tall enough to actually get up onto the windowsill in order to make his escape. Arthur bit his lip, tucked Aithusa under his arm and took a step backwards. As quietly as he could, he took a running leap at the sill, managing to lock his arms over it and slowly drag his legs up the wall, wincing every time his shin connected with the wall. His momentum took him too far and he simply continued to roll, practically falling out of the window. But considering that was where he had been aiming to go all along, Arthur wasn’t too worried.

The drop was only a small one and he scrambled up as soon as his feet touched the floor, a wide smile on his face. He had done it! He had escaped all by himself! But then Arthur realised that he had no idea what to do next. He was still uncertain about leaving the grounds, adamant that Merlin was already on his way and didn’t want to get himself lost. In the end, Arthur simply pressed his back against the wall and sunk into a crouch under the window. He was sure that he couldn’t be seen if Nimueh looked out, and hoped that she would believe he had run for it. If she started searching, she would begin by looking further afield.

Arthur tucked his knees up to his chest and hugged Aithusa tightly, telling the dragon in a quiet voice that everything was going to be okay now that they had escaped. But before too long, Arthur was yawning. He couldn’t help it, it had been a long enough day as it was, let alone with whatever magic Nimueh had used on him to make him sleep. He was just telling the dragon about how they were going to have lots of adventures when Merlin finally arrived to take him home again when sleep once more claimed him and Arthur dozed off where he was sitting.

He wasn’t sure what woke him, whether it was the feeling of being watched or the fact that a shadow had fallen across him and so blocked out the sun. All he knew was that he was shivering before his eyes opened, and when he did finally look up, it was to find Nimueh standing over him. Arthur squeaked, pressing himself back against the wall at the look on her face. He thought he had seen her angry before, but something told him that his escape had just pushed her too far.

“You will learn to obey me,” she whispered, and her voice sent shivers down Arthur’s spine as he tried to make himself as small as possible.

“You’re not my mother!” He shouted, angry despite being scared. Nimueh’s hand rose and for a moment, Arthur thought that she was going to hit him. But even as he flinched, she grabbed hold of his arm in a biting grip and hauled him up. She was walking almost before Arthur had regained his footing and he stumbled along. Upon realising that Aithusa had slipped from his grip as he had stood, Arthur tried to go back for the dragon but Nimueh simply yanked him closer to her.

“’thusa!” Arthur yelled, struggling with all his might against Nimueh’s grip, breath hitching in terror as he realised that she wasn’t going to let him go back for the one thing that gave him comfort.

“No! Lemme go!”

“You will learn your place,” Nimueh’s voice was cold as they reached a door leading back into the house and Arthur gave a sob. It was fine using his kingly memories for escaping, but nothing told him what he was supposed to do now. Every escape back then he knew now had been because of Merlin, and Merlin wasn’t here to help him this time. Arthur shook his head, tripping over his own feet as tears blurred his vision and it was only Nimueh’s grip on his arm that stopped him from falling. She marched him down the corridor and Arthur yelled out when she opened one of the dark rooms. With a wave of her hand, a small lamp came on and Arthur almost sagged in relief.

That was, until Nimueh pushed him into the room so hard that he lost his balance and landed on the ground. As he watched in horror, the flowery carpet seemed to come to life. The vines weaving through the pattern started moving and Arthur could only stare in horror as they rose up from the carpet. It was only then that he realised where they were heading and he tried to scramble backwards. It was too late though, one simply latched around his ankle and held him fast. The rest disappeared as soon as that one foot was tied and despite kicking out at it, Arthur knew that he was stuck.

He could walk a few steps, but that was it. His arms involuntarily made to hug Aithusa, only to realise that the dragon wasn’t there and the tears flowed down his cheeks as he stared at Nimueh.

“You will learn to respect me,” the witch snapped, backing out of the room and shutting the door with a snap behind her. Arthur sunk to the floor when he heard the lock turn. Between that and the magic, he knew there was no way he was getting out again.

MMM

“Are you sure this is the place?” Leon whispered and Morgana nodded. The entire team were standing in a huddled group at the end of a long driveway, a huge mansion house visible even from the distance they were at. Morgana looked as bad as Merlin felt, her skin pale and bags under her eyes. He knew it was the spell draining her, that she hadn’t been entirely truthful when she said that she could hold it for as long as needed. It might have been true if it was just Arthur she had enchanted, but Nimueh’s magic would fight the spell even if the witch wasn’t aware it was in place.

As soon as Merlin saw how bad Morgana looked, he knew they had to move. It didn’t matter if his magic wasn’t as strong as it could have been. If Morgana couldn’t hold the tracking spell, they wouldn’t know where Arthur was. It was strongest on Nimueh as she had passed through it more times than Arthur, she was their best lead.

Not to mention that Merlin wanted to show her once and for all what happened when she tried to mess with his destiny. It hadn’t gone well for her in the first lifetime, and Merlin wanted to make sure the message was clear this time as well. Arthur was _his._

“So what do we do?”

“Spread out,” Merlin muttered, his eyes fixed unblinking on the house in front of him. “Make sure you keep in contact at all times and start searching the place. We’ll start with the grounds just in case they are hiding outside.”

The team nodded and Merlin had a rush of emotion. This was wrong. It wasn’t him that they were supposed to listen to, he was supposed to be the servant. It was Arthur, Arthur was their leader and Arthur was the one who needed them to come and rescue him because he couldn’t do it for himself. Why had fate twisted things around so much, giving them a child rather than a king?

The others had already started walking off by the time Merlin blinked himself out of his musings to see Gwaine waiting for him. Ever since their midnight chat, the other man had been keeping a close eye on his friend. Merlin would have been annoyed if he didn’t need the support so much and he simply smiled at him as they too began heading towards the house. Everyone had split into their normal pairs with Gwaine and Merlin and Elyan and Percival making up the remaining people. They had left Elena and Freya back at the flat with Hunith and Gaius, despite both ladies claiming that they wanted to come as well. It had taken Gwen’s gentle voice to reassure them that they weren’t being left behind, but that Nimueh was more likely to recognise them because of the hospital. It wasn’t technically true, they were just trying to keep them out of trouble, but they didn’t need to know that.

Merlin and Gwaine moved swiftly. Merlin’s eyes were scanning the windows in front of him intently. He was partly looking for a way in, but also wondering which of the windows Arthur was behind. He sighed, knowing that he had to stick by his own rules. He had said to search the grounds first, meaning him as well.

The pair worked silently for a while, scanning everything they came across for some sort of sign that someone was here. Gwaine had just seen a set of footprints in the ground when Gwen’s voice came floating over the comms that Elyan had designed.

“ _He’s here.”_

 _“_ Where? Have you found him?” Merlin was heading in the direction he had seen Gwen go in before he had finished talking. He wanted to use magic, but both he and Morgana had decided that was too risky. They didn’t know what Nimueh had done to protect herself and the chances were that she would know they were there the second he let his power fill him up. He would use it when he had no choice or when they knew that Arthur was safe, but until then, he had to do things the normal way.

 _“Not as such. I’ve found something though…”_ Merlin realised as Gwen finished speaking that he wasn’t just hearing her through the comms. He pushed through a bush, swiftly holding up his hands when Lancelot lunged for him. The man stepped back apologetically, but Merlin could only grin. Why would he be angry about the fact they were all so much on their guard? He stepped towards Gwen as she turned, and even he was slightly taken aback by the expression of anger on her face. In her hand was a familiar dragon.

“He hates being without Aithusa.” Gwen said quietly and Merlin found that he was mimicking Gwen’s anger. Arthur was here, probably scared and not having a clue what was going on. And just like he had been at the hospital, he was without the one thing that truly offered him comfort that no one else could. Merlin took a deep breath, struggling to rein his magic in.  But just as he made to turn away, an idea came into his head.

“Where did you find it exactly?” He asked and Gwen pointed to the ground only a few steps away. Merlin crouched down, seeing the telltale signs of where Arthur had clearly been sitting. But as his fingers ran over the flattened grass, he slowly began smiling.

“What?”

“It’s directly under a window,” he murmured, standing up and letting his hand drift close to the window sill. He didn’t dare touch, not when he was squinting as best as he could to the inside of the window. After a few moments, he saw what he was looking for.

“Good boy, Arthur.” He muttered, ignoring his friends’ quizzical glances.

“What is it, Merlin?”

“Look here. This place clearly hasn’t been used for years, it’s filthy. But right in the centre of the windowsill, the dirt has been smudged as if something moved over it. I would bet you anything that same dirt is now on a certain five year old’s clothes.”

“He tried to escape?”

“Yep.”

“So where is he now? He wouldn’t have run without that toy,” Lancelot commented and Merlin felt his heart sink. He had been so proud over the fact that Arthur had felt confident enough to try something he hadn’t considered what would have happened when the child failed.

“Here,” Gwaine bent down, pointing out some tracks on the ground. “She took him back inside, my guess is through that door over there.” Merlin nodded as he saw what Gwaine was pointing out.

“Start looking through these windows, but be careful, we don’t know where Nimueh is either. We’ll enter the house if we haven’t seen anything from out here, but I would rather not blunder in blindly if I can help it.”

The others nodded their understanding and Merlin carefully looked into the room that Arthur had clearly come out of. He wasn’t surprised to see that it was empty – why would Nimueh leave him in a place that he could escape from? But it was only when he was sure that it was empty that Merlin began to move away. He could tell by the speed of the others that they were being just as careful. Nimueh was more of a mystery than Morgause had been, and that had almost gone completely wrong as it was.

Merlin checked two windows, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his heart when he realised they were both empty. But just as he made to move to the third, he heard Gwaine swear, ducking away from a window. The others followed his lead, all dropping out of sight.

“What?” Merlin hissed, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He hoped that they found Arthur soon just because he wasn’t sure how much his nerves could take.

“I’ve found them. Arthur’s in that room, but so is the witch.” Merlin swore himself. He had been hoping to be able to just find Arthur, run and then come back to deal with Nimueh when the child was safe. He had just lifted his hand in order to connect with the rest of the gang to inform them that they had found their king once again when he caught the look on Gwaine’s face. Slowly, his hand lowered.

“What aren’t you telling me?” He said quietly, knowing that Gwaine was holding something back. The man looked both sad and furious at the same time and Merlin knew he wasn’t going to like what Gwaine was about to say.

“He’s bound.”


	24. Chapter 24

Arthur didn’t realise quite how hard he had been crying until he tried to stop himself when he heard the door opening again. He sniffed, but his breathing was so erratic that it just ended up as another sob. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be getting out of this one considering it was magic holding him in place this time. He had always had hope in the hospital because he knew that he was right despite them telling him otherwise. Here, there was no pretence, no attempt to be nice just to trick him. Nimueh clearly knew what she wanted, and that was him.

The vine around his foot hurt and itched at the same time and he wanted it off. But more than anything, he wanted his dragon back. Arthur was sure that he would have been able to be brave if he had something to cling onto, but his arms were empty and he didn’t think that Merlin would be able to find him. How could he when Nimueh could make carpets come to life and probably swallow people whole. The thought terrified him, yet Arthur wouldn’t put it past her to do something like that. A tear stained face looked up as Nimueh walked back into the room.

“You have to stop with the tears, Arthur,” she said firmly, crouching down next to him with a cloth in her hand and proceeding to wipe his face. Arthur squirmed, but Nimueh gripped his chin and held him still without a word.

“I can’t have you crying all the time, it is more irritating, you hear me?”

“Want Aithusa back,” Arthur mumbled, refusing to look her in the eye even he couldn’t turn his head. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing how scared he was. In a way, Arthur wasn’t even sure that he was so afraid because of his own situation. It was because he couldn’t get the images of all the women lying around the flat motionless. What if she had killed them all? What if she had killed everyone and that Merlin was gone? Arthur was certain that he would feel it if Merlin was dead, but the thought alone made him tremble under her touch slightly.

“If you are a good boy for the rest of the day and stop with the tears, then you can have him back,” Nimueh snapped, standing up again and staring down at the boy. “This is your new life now, Arthur. Put out of your mind all these ideas on escaping and going back to Merlin. He won’t find you. You can have a good home here, I will take really good care of you.”

“Don’t want to. You’re not my mummy…”

“I’m as good as.”

Arthur stared at her, not being sure what Nimueh meant and not being sure if he wanted to know. Again something stirred in the back of his mind of a memory long ago, something about the circumstances of his birth and the magic that his father had denied using. His confusion showed on his face.

“I know you remember that your birth wasn’t entirely natural, Arthur. I know you have all of your memories even if you are just a child this time around. But you never did find out the full story, did you?”

Arthur scowled, not liking the fact that she knew something about him that he didn’t. That wasn’t fair! Merlin was supposed to have told him everything, how was it that Nimueh still had the power to reveal secrets? The witch settled down cross-legged in front of him.

“Your mother and father couldn’t have a child alone. So I used magic to help matters along and helped them create you. I warned your father that magic comes with a cost, but he was so desperate for you that he didn’t pay attention to my warnings and your mother was the one to pay that price. So you see, Arthur, I’m as much of your parent as your father. Does that upset you, that he lied to you like that?”

Arthur knew that the tears running down his face answered that question. But then, he acted in a way no normal five year old would have done.

“Don’t care.” Turning his back on Nimueh, Arthur scowled. It did hurt to know that even when asked directly, Uther had lied to him about how he came into existence and that his mother had been the one to be hurt just for him to live. But that was a lifetime ago, a different existence. It wasn’t who he was now, and Arthur was certain that things hadn’t gone that way in this life time. Although he only had a couple of strong memories from his earlier years in this life, he knew full well that he hadn’t always remembered that he had been a king. And if he didn’t remember that, it meant neither did his father. If he didn’t know who he was, he didn’t remember about magic and therefore Nimueh had nothing to do with any of this.

“My mummy and daddy are the only ones who look after me. And Merlin. Not you, you’re not allowed.” Arthur said firmly, keeping his back to the witch. Somehow, he didn’t need to see her to know that her face had clouded over in fury. He almost felt her magic spark in the air and knew that she was trying not to lash out at him. Arthur tucked himself up as small as he could go. He might not be giving in, but he was only five years old. Knowing someone was powerful and had strong magic, not to mention was angry with him, was enough to make any child scared.

“You will change your mind,” Nimueh stated, and movement behind him made Arthur glance over his shoulder as she stood up, glaring down at him. “And you will treat me with the respect that I deserve.”

Arthur turned properly to glare back, not wanting to be treated that way even if he was only five. But as he looked around, it was just in time to see her eyes glow golden once more. He leapt up, trying to get away but the vine on his leg held him fast even as the carpet once again came to life.

“No!” Arthur let out a sob as it seemed to twist towards him, but he didn’t have enough movement to try and get away. The vine simply wrapped around his wrist and tugged him back down to the floor. Arthur suddenly felt very small as he stared up at Nimueh. She shook her head, almost looking sad.

“I really hope you come around to my way of thinking, Arthur. It’s going to make things so much easier.” And with those words, she swept from the room. Arthur once again heard the lock catch, but he didn’t know why she bothered. It wasn’t as if he was going to be getting out when the vines were holding him down. But as soon as she had gone, Arthur found that he was struggling against it. He was never one to simply sit still and let matters unfold around him. He refused to be left here, refused to come around to her way of thinking.

As he struggled, Arthur shivered slightly. After just a second, he realised that it was because something was blocking the sun from the window. He hadn’t realised how much it had been warming him until it was gone and Arthur turned to glare at whatever plant had gotten in the way this time. But as soon as he looked towards the window, Arthur felt his jaw drop in astonishment and bewilderment.

It was Aithusa blocking the sun.

Somehow, his dragon was looking in at the window and Arthur simply blinked as he tried to make sense of what on earth it was that he was seeing. After a few seconds, Aithusa seemed to be moving across the window pane and Arthur simply stared, open mouthed. But a few moments after that and another face appeared in the window, one that Arthur had wanted to see almost as much as he had wanted to see his dragon. He made to yell out, but Merlin quickly put a finger against his lips and Arthur mirrored the action, promising that he was going to stay quiet even as he glanced back at the door, checking that Nimueh wasn’t about to walk in.

But the door remained shut and by the time that Arthur looked back, Gwaine had appeared next to the window and the pair of them seemed to be trying to get it open. Arthur frowned, not knowing why Merlin didn’t just use magic but he didn’t want to ask because he had been told to stay quiet. There wasn’t many times that Arthur did as he was told, but when it was for something like this, he knew better than to argue.

After what felt like far too long to the impatient five year old, the window finally opened and Gwaine crouched down to get Merlin a boost. Arthur grinned as the warlock slid through the window, just knowing that everything was going to be okay now that Merlin was here.

“Are you okay?” Merlin whispered, hurrying across the room. Arthur nodded happily, making to stretch out his arms towards both his destiny and the dragon that was still in Merlin’s hand. But he could only stretch so far before his left wrist was pulled up short from where the vine was still wrapped around it. Arthur quickly dropped it back down to his side, biting his lip as he stared at the floor. What if Merlin was angry with him?

“Hey, it’s okay,” Merlin’s voice was gentle as he tilted Arthur’s head back so that he could look him in the eye and smile reassuringly. “We’re going to get you out.”

Arthur nodded as Merlin signalled for Gwaine to come through as well. The man did, pulling out a knife as he did so and instantly setting to work on the vines as soon as he was in reach. Arthur clutched onto Merlin, not liking the blade despite knowing that it was helping him.

“Why don’t you magic them gone?” He whispered, still afraid to speak too loudly even as his hand closed around Aithusa’s soft wing and he pulled the toy into his chest, clinging on tightly. Merlin stroked his hair soothingly.

“She then might know we are here if I do that. We have to be really secret and quiet, just like a game. Do you think you can do that, Arthur?” Arthur nodded, wanting to show Merlin that he wouldn’t always be the one that got them caught. Merlin grinned, a smile so familiar that Arthur found himself relaxing even as he dragged his sleeve across his face.

“She wanted to wash my face,” he informed Merlin, sounding appropriately disgusted by the action. Merlin let out a soft laugh, ruffling his hair.

“How horrid of her,” he said quietly and Arthur nodded seriously. Gwaine managed to free the vine around his wrist at the same moment and Arthur stamped on it gleefully as it sunk back into the carpet, wriggling further away from Merlin now that he knew the knife was working and going to be the item that actually managed to free him. Gwaine instantly set to work on the ankle vine.

“Can’t you hurry it up?” Merlin hissed, and there was such worry in his voice that Arthur immediately bit his lip, turning back and stroking Merlin’s hand reassuringly. Didn’t he know that everything was going to be okay now that he had arrived, for he always made everything better! The smile that Merlin shot his way didn’t quite reach his eyes and Arthur knew that he wasn’t free yet. But he also had a feeling that Merlin wouldn’t have come alone and he wouldn’t have come in without a plan. Gwaine simply shot his friend a look that said he was going as fast as he could before he went back to work on the vine.

The longer it took, the more Arthur found that he was shrinking back into Merlin, worried that Nimueh was going to come back and find them. But eventually, the vine was free and Gwaine was quick to stand up and hoist Arthur into his arms. The little boy clung on as he was carried over to the window, obeying Gwaine’s warning to watch his head as he was passed out. Strong arms caught him and Arthur looked up to find that Lancelot was smiling down at him. He gave a small wriggle and the man obliged, placing him on the floor before moving to one side, clearly intending to help Merlin and Gwaine through the window as well.

But Arthur wasn’t watching the others coming through the window, his attention was distracted by Gwen. Before he could stop himself, he had wrapped his arms around her legs, hugging her tightly. The woman gently prised him away so that she could crouch down and return the hug properly, stroking Arthur’s hair in the same way that Merlin had been doing before.

“I thought she had hurt you!” Arthur yelped, burying his face in her neck and just holding on for a few moments. A hand on his shoulder made him look around to see that Merlin had got out of the window and was looking down at him. Arthur suddenly flushed.

“I tried, Merlin,” he said softly, pulling away from Gwen and slipping his hand into Merlin’s. “I tried to not go with her, I even tried hiding under the bed but she knew where I was and everyone else was sleeping and ‘Gana…Morgana! Merlin, she was sleeping and wouldn’t wake up…”

“It’s okay, Arthur,” Merlin bent down, the look on his face reassuring. “She’s just fine. She just had a little sleep and then she woke right back up again. In fact, she is the reason why we knew where to find you.”

“Oh.” Arthur didn’t know what to say to that and just fell silent, clutching onto Merlin’s hand.

“Merlin?”

“Yes, Arthur?”

“Can we go home now, please?”

“Now that,” Merlin smiled down at him again. “Sounds like a very good idea. Come on, Arthur, let’s go home.”

Arthur grinned, aware that Gwaine had begun talking into a radio. That made Arthur’s smile only grow wider, for he knew that it meant that more members of their team were around as well. Nimueh had got it all wrong thinking that she could stop them. She had taken him away, and Arthur knew that was effectively declaring war on everyone else. If there was one thing he knew was still true from the first time around, it was that they didn’t give up when one of their own was in trouble. But knowing that everyone was here now made Arthur realise that he had had quite the adventure already and he was getting tired.

He had barely let out a yawn when Gwaine suddenly picked him up again.

“Fancy making things easy on yourself and watching my back?”

Arthur nodded even as he wrapped his arms around Gwaine’s neck, resting his chin on the man’s shoulder. He didn’t see the others trade knowing grins as they began to move off, silently congratulating Gwaine on his way of making sure that Arthur kept up with them without the child kicking off about being treated like a baby. No one was completely sure how Arthur was reacting to the situation, not even Arthur himself.

They made it around the house without incident and Arthur was just beginning to relax, leaning more and more against Gwaine when they suddenly came to a stop and Merlin swore. Arthur knew just how wrong the situation was when no one told him off and the child lifted his head, looking around. As soon as he saw what had drawn their attention, he let out a cry, squirming in Gwaine’s grip. What getting down would achieve, Arthur had no idea, but he felt like he had to do something.

They had been wrong thinking that they had gotten away with it. Instead, Nimueh had just been waiting for them. Leon was sprawled across the floor and Arthur knew it was the same sort of bad sleep that the others had been in before. He could see Elyan kneeling down and judging by the way that he was sitting, Arthur had to wonder whether Nimueh had made vines come alive to hold him still as well, for his arms seemed to be pinned behind his back.

But perhaps more worrying was Morgana.

She was standing, and she was conscious. But her arms were held loosely by her sides and her head was tilted back. She was standing directly in front of Nimueh and Arthur knew that it wasn’t good that the witch’s fingertips were sparking as she held them directly over Morgana’s throat.

“Going somewhere, Emrys?”

Merlin snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously and Arthur found himself squeaking, hiding away in Gwaine’s neck. The man passed him over to Gwen, clearly wanting to back Merlin up even as Arthur started to cry. This was all his fault, just because he had come out from under the bed when Nimueh had told him to. If he had stayed hidden, maybe none of this would be happening?

“Let her go, Nimueh, she is nothing to do with this.”

“No? You don’t admit that even a small part of you wants revenge on what happened all that time ago? She took your destiny from you, Merlin.”

“That was a different lifetime. You’re the one taking him this time and you know how well that ended last time. Let her go before I strike you down in the same way again.”

“Oh, Merlin,” Nimueh mocked, a smile on her face. “I would like to see you try.”

And just like that, the world went dark around them.


	25. Chapter 25

Merlin froze, every instinct telling him to get to Arthur and make sure that his king was safe. He could hear the little boy crying behind him and Gwen’s attempts to hush him and that was what made up his mind. Nimueh would expect him to go to Arthur and come for him in the darkness. But if Merlin could lead her away, give the others a chance to get Arthur to safety, they might just stand a chance. It didn’t matter who Arthur was or had been; they couldn’t win a fight with a vulnerable five year old in the middle of it.

Merlin was already beginning to move before he heard Gwaine swear quietly, a clear indication that the man’s mind was only just catching up with what was happening. Merlin grinned. What chance did Nimueh have when she was completely outnumbered? Everyone who had come with Merlin would do anything to protect Arthur, it was why they were here. Merlin knew that if he started to draw Nimueh off, the others would follow his lead and get Arthur out. He ran forward swiftly, his magic allowing him to have a heightened sense and enable him to not fall over. It seemed strange that he would run around in the dark when his magic was guiding him, but barely even walk in daylight when he wasn’t letting his instincts take over.

But Gwaine swearing was Merlin’s signal. It meant that at least one member of their party was beginning to regain his wits and that was enough for Merlin to know that Gwaine would be able to defend whoever he was near. Believing that he had put enough distance between himself and Arthur, Merlin let the magic roll off him and caused a bright light to flash into existence. It was only there for a moment, just long enough for Nimueh to know what direction he had gone in but not for her to realise that Arthur wasn’t with her. Merlin wasn’t sure who she would go for first and knew that he had to just keep drawing her attention.

Another flash of light told him that he was doing just that as a jet of fire flashed by him, missing him by inches and giving him a painful reminder of the last time he had had a confrontation with the witch.

“Give it up, Merlin, you know you can’t win!”

“Can’t I? Who walked away from our last meeting, Nimueh?” Merlin goaded. He knew that it was foolish making her angry, especially as the next flash of fire was even closer than the first and Merlin could feel his sleeve smoking slightly. Dousing it in magic, he made sure that he wasn’t about to catch alight and moved again. He had to keep her moving, weaving away from Arthur and venturing further out into the gardens.

“Luck and grief, you foolish child. Do you really think you have the power to defeat me?”

If he was honest, Merlin wasn’t sure what the answer to that was. If he was at his full power from years ago, he would have been sure that he was a match for her, especially if Morgana was helping. But now? He had no idea about the full strength of her skills, but he did know the limitations of his own.

A startled squeak in the dark made Merlin curse as he realised he had somehow doubled back around and bumped into Gwen. He was trying to get away from Arthur, not head straight back to him.

“Get him out of here,” Merlin whispered under his breath, beginning to move away again. He hadn’t realised that Arthur had taken that opportunity to clutch hold of Merlin’s collar. While Merlin managed to pull free with ease, it was enough to make Arthur realise that he was leaving.

“No! Wanna go with Merlin! Merlin!” To Merlin’s horror, Arthur’s words came out as a full on shout, letting everywhere in a ten mile radius let alone just this garden that they were near each other. Gwen quickly put her hand over the child’s mouth, hurrying in one direction as Merlin sped in the other. He let lose another light, but there was no answering fire this time, only a thud as Gwaine seemed to be blasted back by something.

Merlin rolled his eyes, sighing. Something told him that his plan was failing spectacularly. He didn’t know where anyone was, whether they were his friends or Nimueh. There wasn’t a lot he could do if the witch was closing in on Arthur rather than following him. Shooting his hand towards the sky, another orb of light flew from Merlin’s hand. This time, it illuminated the whole area and hovered above them, letting the warlock get a view on what was going on.

Gwaine was on the floor, Nimueh only a few paces from him. Lancelot and Leon were beginning to close in on them, although they were too far to truly help. Morgana was closer to Merlin than she was Arthur, but she was crouched on the floor and seemed to be shaking. Merlin knew that he didn’t have time to question what was wrong with her. She wouldn’t be able to help him, that’s all he needed to know for now. Elyan had a gun drawn and was miraculously close to Gwen, who had Arthur hiding in her neck. Judging by the way Nimueh seemed to be half turned towards them when she had stopped at Merlin’s light, she had known that Arthur would be going in the opposite way to Merlin.

“Nimueh!” Merlin roared, moving towards her as he did so. Did she not know what happened to people who messed with Merlin’s destiny? This time, he wasn’t quick enough to stop the blast of air from hitting him in the chest and he was sent flying backwards. Arthur screamed as Merlin hit the ground with a thud, gasping for breath as stars swum before his vision. His magic tingled and he just knew that he had succeeded in turning Nimueh from Arthur. The trouble was, she was now coming to him and he was having enough trouble getting air into his protesting lungs to be able to work his magic to any great effect.

Merlin managed to raise himself onto his elbows and glare up at the witch. He knew the power of his glare was somewhat limited, however, due to the fact that he was still struggling to breathe. Her feet entered his vision first, coming to rest on either side of his head as she stared down at him. There was no mocking trace in her features this time, just annoyance.

“Destiny or not, Merlin, you are still nothing more than a serving boy. You might not be serving Arthur in the same way, but you’re still a slave to your destiny. I don’t know why any of your so called friends stay with you.” As she spoke, Nimueh’s hand flicked out to the side. Gwaine had climbed to his feet and had been attempting to sneak towards the pair in order to help Merlin. But her actions forced a blast of air to throw him to the ground again, and judging by the cursing that Merlin could hear, she had somehow pinned him down.

“Maybe it is because they believe in the same thing that I do?”

Merlin couldn’t let her have the last word, even if he was aware that he was probably making things even more dangerous for himself. He didn’t have the chance to try and counteract her spell as she flicked her hand in his direction again. His elbows were driven out from under him and he fell back with a crash. Only this time, there was a harsh weight crushing his chest and Merlin knew that getting up was not going to be an option until he got his magic back under control.

“What have you done to her?” Leon suddenly yelled, running for Nimueh himself. Through awkwardly craning his head back, Merlin could see that he had been crouched by his fiancée and trying to get Morgana to respond to him. Judging by the cry of outrage, he had been unsuccessful. He was the next one to go flying.

One by one, all of the team were slowly pinned to the ground as they tried to distract Nimueh’s attention away from Arthur. But she clearly knew what they were doing as she stood mockingly over Merlin, sending them flying with nothing more than a dismissive thought on her behalf. It made Merlin furious, especially considering he was sure that she wouldn’t be able to tell him even one of their names.

Eventually, only Gwen was left standing, Arthur clutched in her arms as she began backing away. Merlin tried to force himself to move, knowing that Gwen wouldn’t stand a chance against the witch and there was no way he was about to lose Arthur again. Not when they had just got him back and made sure that Morgause couldn’t get to him. He grunted with exertion as he tried to shift himself upright, and Nimueh once again glanced down at him.

Very slowly, she placed her foot across his throat, pressing down lightly. Merlin found himself freezing, not knowing what she was playing at. Her heel was resting lightly across his throat, but he knew that she would only have to press down and she could kill him. It seemed ironic that something so simple could be what destroyed him when she had so much magic at her disposal. Nimueh looked towards Arthur.

“Down you come now, Arthur.”

“Stay away from him!” Gwen snapped, taking another step backwards. Her eyes betrayed her uncertainty though. Even from the awkward angle he was at, Merlin could see that she was glancing between him and Arthur. Did she put Arthur down with the hope that Merlin would be able to throw Nimueh off before he reached them, or did she keep hold of the child and risk Nimueh crushing Merlin’s windpipe first?

“Try not to speak, girl, you ruin your pretty face when you do that.” Lancelot snarled at Nimueh’s words, but just like the rest of them, he was pinned to the ground. Gwen, however, almost didn’t seem to notice, instead continued to take hesitant steps backwards. After everything they had dealt with in both this lifetime and next, a few insults weren’t going to be enough to stop her.

“Now, come on, Arthur.” This time, Merlin wasn’t quick enough to stop a strangled gasp escape him as her heel pressed down. He could feel the pressure behind it, knew that it wouldn’t take a long for her to kill him at this rate. He tried to motion for Gwen to run, to take Arthur and go, but he couldn’t be sure that she got the message.

“Lemme down.”

Despite Arthur speaking quietly, his words travelled and Merlin found himself struggling. He tried to call out to the child that everything was going to be okay and that he needed to get far away, but he couldn’t draw the breath in order to get the words out. Instead, he just gave another gasp, and Arthur repeated his words, wriggling in Gwen’s arms. She had no choice but to let him down, he was squirming too much for her to be able to hold onto him. Merlin knew that he couldn’t blame her, but he once again found himself trying to force his body up from the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Arthur was beginning to take a few tentative steps forward. Aithusa was clutched to his chest and he was chewing on his sleeve, eyes locked on Nimueh, but he was definitely heading their way.

To Merlin’s delight, he stopped short before he reached the witch.

“Let Merlin up,” he said quietly, yet his voice was ringing with the authority that no five year old should have. Merlin tried to rise, tried to get control of the situation, but Nimueh simply pressed down.

“Come closer first.”

“Let him up first.”

“I said; come here!” Nimueh’s voice ended in a yell and Merlin found that he was dropping his chin in an attempt to alleviate the pressure. Arthur stumbled forward a step, his eyes wide but Merlin knew that he wouldn’t have had a choice. There was something about Nimueh’s tone that screamed authority and it didn’t matter what memories Arthur had running through his head, he was still a scared, five year old boy. He wouldn’t have been able to refuse her. But even as Arthur tripped another step, a smirk of satisfaction was unfurling on Nimueh’s face. Merlin wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain that once Arthur reached her, he wouldn’t get the chance to run again. She would do something – bind him, send to him sleep – _anything_ to make sure that he couldn’t simply take off again.

So Merlin knew that he had to be able to react first. His desperation was more intense than anything he had felt before and he could feel his magic responding to that. His power had always been limited in this lifetime, for this was a time and an age where magic had no place. But right now, the rush of power he could feel shooting through his veins was more the type he had experienced when they were back in Camelot. More importantly than that, however, it was the level of power he had been experiencing just before Arthur died.

This was the Emrys that the Druids told stories about.

Nimueh might have been a High Priestess in her time, but Merlin knew that he had the strength to defeat her. He had done it before, after all.

As Arthur made to take a third step towards Nimueh, his eyes on the floor, Merlin growled. There was something in his tone that caused Nimueh to glance down at her prisoner, and whatever she saw made her eyes widen in surprise. Merlin could feel the power accumulating behind his eyes and knew that they were beginning to glow.

Nimueh didn’t stand a chance.

All Merlin had to do was jerk his chin and she was sent flying backwards. An alarmed shriek escaped her and almost immediately she was back on her feet. But it had been enough. Merlin could also rise, no longer trapped. His eyes continued to glow and he could feel his magic battling Nimueh’s, freeing his friends as he did so. They all leapt up, Leon and Lancelot rushing to their fiancés’ while the others all grabbed whatever weapon they could find and began circling Nimueh. She watched them coolly, but none approached. There was something about Merlin that seemed to tell them without words that Nimueh was his.

“You cannot defeat me, Emrys.” Nimueh’s threat, however, was cut off as Merlin’s eyes pulsed. She had to raise her own hand and bark a spell in order to even stay on her feet. Merlin had had enough, this time she was going to pay for what happened. He didn’t call to Arthur, but he simply held out his hand and the little boy ran over, slipping his own into it. As Merlin’s fingers curled around Arthur’s, he was once again reminded just how much Arthur needed him this time and how many people were trying to take him away.

“You have one chance to walk away from this, Nimueh. Leave now and I’ll let you live.”

“You sound so tough, Merlin,” Nimueh mocked, her own eyes beginning to glow. “But you forget… I know your weakness.”

Before Merlin could ask what she meant, the witch had shot a spell at him. He acted instinctively, raising his palm and just letting the spell bounce of it. He wasn’t sure what it would do but there was no way that he was going to risk it when Arthur was by his side. What he hadn’t realised, however, was that it was just a distraction. Nimueh had taken that time to once again send Lancelot flying as she grabbed hold of Gwen, her fingertips sparking in the same way that they had done with Morgana.

“You think you were strong coming in here with your friends, Merlin. You think they would back you up. Yet you brought your weakness with you. For while I have her in my grasp, I know you won’t do anything.”

Nimueh altered her gaze until she was looking down at Arthur.

“You can save her though. As King, you should be saving people. Just step away from Merlin, go back into the house, and all your friends here can go home. I promised you that I would look after you. Surely being spoilt by me isn’t a hard price to pay for your friends’ lives?”

“Leave him alone, Nimueh, you’ve done enough harm,” Merlin snapped, tightening his grip on Arthur’s hand even as the little boy looked up at him in confusion about what he should be doing. Nimueh saw his action and her eyes glinted dangerously.

“Don’t test me, boy,” she snarled, the magic in her hands growing. Gwen let out a soft gasp, her eyes flooding with tears and her face crumpled in pain as she clearly tried to stop herself from crying out. Merlin bit his lip. Nimueh was right, his friends were his weakness. He couldn’t stand by and watch something happen to Gwen, but it wasn’t like giving up Arthur was a choice either. Arthur tugged on his hand, clearly wanting to pull away so that he could help, but Merlin simply shook his head.

“Your choice. Arthur, or the rest of them. I’ll kill them one by one, and there will be nothing you can do about it.”

In the end, it was Arthur who saved the day. As he softly started to cry again, Merlin’s magic went wild. He didn’t know what he did or if it was even a conscious effort.

But without a single hair on Gwen’s head being harmed, Nimueh effectively exploded.  


	26. Chapter 26

“What the holy hell did you just do?” There was a stunned silence around the whole area, Gwaine’s words not even beginning to break the tension that was settling over the group. Merlin knew they were all taken aback about what he had just done. Not only because he had effectively ended Nimueh’s life in front of them, but because of the way he had done it. They knew his power wasn’t that strong anymore, but Merlin felt as if he had just tapped into something. It was as if there was a hidden reserve of magic that had been locked away in his core for all of this time. Seeing Nimueh threaten his friends like that, hearing the way she was messing with Arthur’s head and knowing that they didn’t really have a way out, the power had been unleashed.

His magic was as strong as it ever had been.

Merlin didn’t realise how much he had missed its constant present until he felt it rushing through his veins as he stood there. No more did he feel like his magic was unpredictable and out of his control. It felt like he knew precisely what his limits were and was convinced that the magic would now listen to him rather than just reacting whenever Arthur was in danger. As thoughts of his king crossed his mind, Merlin shook his head at Gwaine’s question – not being entirely sure himself what he had just done – and crouched down in front of Arthur. The boy was still crying, and Merlin had a feeling it was going to take him a while to stop. Arthur looked utterly exhausted.

A mere glow of Merlin’s eyes brought Aithusa floating over from where Arthur had dropped it and Merlin gently pressed it into the child’s hand before wrapping his arms around Arthur’s legs and hoisting him into his arms. Immediately, Arthur’s breathing eased a little as he lent his head on Merlin’s shoulder and sagged against the warlock, clearly feeling safe in his new position. Merlin rubbed a hand soothingly over his back as Arthur sniffled and he got the feeling the boy would be asleep in a matter of moments. If he was honest, Merlin could completely understand why. He wouldn’t mind falling asleep right now and he wasn’t five.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Merlin muttered wearily, beginning to carry Arthur back the way they had come.

“What about everything here? Don’t you think we should tell someone?” Leon asked hesitantly, clearly not wanting it to sound like he wanted to report Merlin for murder. Merlin glanced at him.

“I’m not sure you’ll find any record that Nimueh ever existed,” he said, glancing around as he did so. There was so much magic he could now feel in the air, he had a feeling that the witch wasn’t registered anyway as living here, that no one had known she was here. It wouldn’t surprise Merlin if no one at the hospital could properly remember her either. Nimueh had been strong the whole way through this ordeal, her magic was twisting everything to suit her purpose. The only thing she cared about was getting hold of Arthur. To everyone else who had ever met her, she simply didn’t exist. Leon nodded, wrapping his arm around Morgana and beginning to follow.

They walked in silence, and Merlin knew they were all lost in their own thoughts. He couldn’t blame them, for his mind was also whirring. Apart from finding something to do with Cendred to make sure that he couldn’t hurt anyone again, Merlin couldn’t stop a contented feeling from sinking into him. There were no more threats, no one trying to take Arthur from them again. It was as if they were finally free, that the reason why their memories had been returned had been fulfilled. Arthur was safe, and Merlin knew that his destiny was yet again complete.

Wondering if the others were feeling the same way, Merlin found that he was watching them as they headed towards the cars. Both Morgana and Gwen seemed to be leaning into their future husbands and the sight alone was enough to make Merlin smile. Things had definitely turned out for the better this time around, for he wasn’t sure that he had ever seen Morgana lean into anyone, especially not a man. It was nice that she had managed to find love this time around, and the once deadly enemy was now a driving force in keeping Merlin safe. Elyan and Percival were walking companionably side by side, neither of them saying anything but the looks on their faces showing that they were happy with the way things had turned out.

Last of all, Merlin looked at Gwaine, only to find his best friend staring right back at him. Catching his eye, Merlin softly nodded as Gwaine smiled at him. More than anyone, the man knew what Merlin had been through and the fact that he had stuck by him through it all made Merlin feel a rush of gratitude so strong that it almost took his breath away. Judging by the look on Gwaine’s face, he understood how his friend felt.

At long last, the cars came into view and the team automatically split in order to make sure they would all fit in. They didn’t need a leader, they just acted instinctively, knowing how the others thought. Merlin had a fond smile on his face as he slipped into the back, knowing by the soft breathing and the lack of any sound that Arthur had fallen asleep. He somehow managed to fasten the seatbelt over them both before leaning his head against the window and sighing as Lancelot started the engine. As the car pulled away and he watched the huge house begin to disappear behind the trees, Merlin sighed.

It was definitely time to go home.

The journey out there had seemed to take a lifetime considering he had been shaking with worry for his destiny. Yet their return home went far faster than Merlin thought was possible. He was just letting his eyes drift shut, once again exhausted by the sheer power he had just spent and safe in the knowledge that Arthur was with him when he felt the car come to a stop. Blearily opening his eyes, Merlin took a second to realise he never had remembered closing them before glancing out of the window and seeing that they were outside the flat.

With a smile, he unstrapped them and opened the car door, only to realise that Lancelot wasn’t moving.

“Are you alright?” Merlin asked quietly, suddenly worried that Nimueh had done more damage to his friends than he had realised. He had been so focused on Arthur that he hadn’t really considered what was going on with anyone else. Lancelot turned and shot him a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine. But I want to get Gwen home,” he glanced at the passenger seat as he spoke.

“Of course,” Merlin followed his gaze. From this angle, he couldn’t tell if Gwen was awake or not, not considering the way she was slumped against the window and silent. Merlin knew that she would have been terrified while in Nimueh’s grasp. He had been when he had been pinned down and he had had the shield of anger to keep his fear at bay. Knowing her fate had been left in the hands of a five year old – regardless of who that five year old was – would have no doubt left Gwen shaken.

But Merlin found that he was kicking himself for not thinking sooner that not everyone would want to come back to the flat. It was his home, his and Gwaine’s and he knew they had begun to make it Arthur’s as well. But the others all had other places to be, other lives to live. Unlike Merlin, they hadn’t let the memories consume them when they had returned. Merlin slipped out of the car, Arthur in his arms, and stepped back as Lancelot started the engine again.

As the car drove out of sight, he looked around to find Gwaine bidding farewell to Elyan before that vehicle too disappeared. It seemed everyone wanted to have their own space and Merlin sighed. He knew that they wouldn’t have chosen any differently should he have asked them outright if they had wanted to come with him to get Arthur, knowing they all cared about the little boy and not just because he was their king. But it did make him wonder whether he had been taken them for granted or not.

Determined to make it up to them, Merlin put the thought from his head for now and walked into the flat, nodding as Gwaine held the door open for him. It seemed both a lifetime ago and only seconds since they had left, but judging by the way his mother, Freya and Elena immediately rushed for the door when they heard it open, Merlin knew the wait must have dragged on for them.

All three women breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the sleeping child in Merlin’s arms and Elena gently took Arthur. Merlin let her, knowing that she was used to handling the child having been at the hospital with him. As she carried him down the hallway to Merlin’s room, the warlock realised that his mother was giving him a deep look. Merlin met her gaze, then found that he was unable to hold it due to the intensity of her expression.

“What?”

“You’ve changed,” she murmured, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair as if he was Arthur’s age and not a man. Merlin blushed, realising that if anyone would be able to tell at just a glance that his powers had returned properly, it would be his mother. Not wanting to scare her with the details of what had just happened, he instead just softly nodded, taking her hand and kissing it.

“I have,” he responded simply, his voice promising that he would tell her exactly how one day, but that right now was not the time. Hunith seemed to know that pushing him would get her nowhere and she nodded as Elena came back. For a moment, they all just looked at each other.

“Is it over?” Freya asked quietly and Merlin found that he was thinking hard. Was it? Both Morgause and Nimueh were dealt with and they had Cendred under control for now. Arthur was back and safe; there was nothing more for him to do.

“Yes.”

“No.”

His mother spoke at the same time as him and Merlin found that he was staring at her in astonishment. His mind instantly started going through what he might have forgotten in exactly the same way he used to do when he hadn’t done all of his chores and couldn’t work out what he had forgotten. After a moment, Hunith took pity on him. Taking his hand, she perched on the edge of the sofa and stared at him.

“You need to find a way of clearing Uther’s name, Merlin.”

“What? Why?”

“Why? Because he hasn’t done anything wrong in this lifetime and now that you have isolated Cendred, you’ll be able to get him to take the fall. Cendred can be locked up, he’ll never be able to plan anything against Arthur again. And Uther…”

“…would be out again,” Merlin finished, staring at her. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this, even as she gently reached up and caressed his cheek.

“What are you planning to do with Arthur now the danger is over, love?”

“I…”

“You live in a two person flat, Merlin. You know nothing about raising a child and right now, you have no job either. I’m not saying you were wrong to quit it when the memories returned, but I’m saying you have to think of his future. You can’t use magic to solve all the problems or Arthur will be dependent on you.”

“But…”

“He needs his father.”

“He does _not._ ” Merlin knew that his words had come out more strongly than he intended the second they left his lips. His mother simply raised an eyebrow at him and the warlock became acutely aware that all other occupants of the flat had disappeared into the kitchen in order to let mother and son talk. Merlin sighed, running his fingers through his hair and sinking down onto the sofa.

“Uther destroyed Arthur. He completely manipulated his beliefs and was the reason why Arthur could be such hard work. All he wanted to do was please his father, and all Uther did was criticise. How can I let him go back to that when he is so young and impressionable? I’ll lose him all over again.”

“The Uther from before might have done that,” Hunith responded quietly, sitting down next to her son and putting a gentle hand on his knee, clearly trying to reassure him. “But you don’t know the Uther from this life would be like that. You saw them at the prison. Arthur would have been born before the memories returned, Uther would have had a chance to be a father.”

“But…”

“But nothing, love. You have to give them a chance. I’m not saying let Arthur be with his father and never see you again. I’m not even saying let Uther do what he wants, tell him you will be watching. He knows of your power now, you have nothing to hide from him. Give them a chance to be a family.”

“I just don’t want to feel like I’m losing him,” Merlin admitted quietly, not having appreciated how deep this fear ran until now. He was truly terrified that even after everything they had just been through, all it would take would be Arthur reunited with his father and Merlin would lose him all over again. And that time, there would be nothing he could do in order to get him back.

“Merlin, listen to me. Being a single parent is hard enough as it is, without the conflicting memories causing an identity crisis. Arthur will have it worse than the rest of us considering his ranking and his age. He needs someone to guide him and you are not that person. You’ve barely lived your own life, love, you don’t want to be his father. Besides, isn’t it better that Arthur considers you more as an older brother, meaning he will open up to you and let you have fun with him. If he sees you as the father figure, it will be you he rebels against in later years. Let Uther deal with the teenage tantrums and you can be the one there to have fun with him.”

Merlin could only stare at her, wondering if he had ever expressed how much he appreciated having her as his mother. Who else always knew the exact thing to say to make him realise how foolish he had been? Hunith seemed to realise what was going through her son’s head for she smiled and leant over, kissing his temple before standing up and moving to the kitchen, clearly knowing the others would be slightly squashed in there as they tried to pretend there was nothing else going on.

“It will all be well, sweetheart. You’ll see.”

Merlin watched her go for a moment, grinning as Gwaine let out a squawk of surprise as the door opened and he almost fell from where he had been leaning on it. He knew nothing had been decided yet, they didn’t know whether they would be able to get Uther out even with Cendred to blame. But Merlin knew they had to give it a chance, for Arthur. When it came to his destiny, there was nothing that Merlin would not do.

Standing up, he slowly moved down the hallway, pausing in the door of his own room. How many times had he done this now, stopping to look in just to make sure that everything was well? Arthur was asleep, curled up into a ball so tight that Merlin could only see the top of his head over the covers. Smiling gently, the warlock moved in and carefully tugged them down a little to make sure that Arthur didn’t overheat. The boy screwed up his eyes as he shifted in his sleep.

“Daddy?”

The whisper was so soft that Merlin knew Arthur wasn’t even awake. He felt his breath catch and he gently soothed his hand over the top of Arthur’s head, coaxing him back into a deeper sleep. Arthur sighed, pulling Aithusa in closer and fell still once again. Merlin was left simply staring at him. It seemed that his mother was right. Arthur did need his father and Merlin knew it would only be a matter of time before the boy started blaming Merlin for keeping them apart. Not letting Uther be a father would cause more problems down the road and Merlin had no intention of ever being at the receiving end of Arthur’s anger.

Tucking him in, he stood up and moved back towards the lounge, hearing the voices and knowing everyone had moved out of the kitchen. Yet again he paused in the doorway.

“We have a new mission,” he announced, causing them all to look around in surprise and for Gwaine to grin. Taking a deep breath, Merlin met his mother’s eyes and smiled gently, trying to tell her without words that she had been right all along and Merlin would listen to her.

“Well? What is it?” Gwaine asked impatiently, looking as if he was ready to run out of the room right now. Merlin grimaced slightly.

“We have to clear Uther’s name.”

He wasn’t sure that in either of his lifetimes he had ever seen Gwaine looking so stunned and bewildered. Elena also looked a little surprised, clearly remembering the choices their fathers had tried to force on them before. But Freya and his mother both smiled and Merlin knew that he had done the right thing.

Now he just had to convince himself of that.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm a complete plonker basically and managed to upload chapter 27 as 26. So anyone skipping straight to the last chapter - you need to re-read chapter 26 as it is now the proper version as otherwise the two were the same!

Every mission Merlin had undertaken since their memories had been returned had resulted in him getting what he wanted, even if it happened through sheer fluke. He knew this time would be no different. The team had pulled together in order to clear Uther’s name and Merlin knew they were a pretty unstoppable force when they set their minds to something. Yet he still found that he was keeping quiet to Arthur about what they were doing.

He didn’t want the young boy to get his hopes up. This time they weren’t going against magic or an evil force bent on destroying them. They were up against the law, and Merlin knew this could be the one time that they were beaten. Cendred and Morgause had managed to plant the evidence on Uther in order to get him framed, even rigging the blood tests when Uther had tried to plead that he had been drugged. They had been playing the system from the start, but they had done a thorough job. If it wasn’t for knowing that he needed to believe Uther could be saved for Arthur’s sake, Merlin knew he would have believed it as well.

But he had seen what both Morgause and Nimueh had been prepared to do in order to get their hands on Arthur. He had also seen the way Uther had reacted to his son and knew no matter what his past flaws were, Uther cared for Arthur. He would go to prison a thousand times over if it meant keeping Arthur safe. Merlin knew that he had been set up, and now he just had to find a way of proving it so that Arthur could have his father back and begin to get on with his life the way he should have been for all of this time.

It was why, on a cold Sunday morning, Merlin found himself back outside the prison. He knew he was doing this for Arthur, but he had to hear it from the man himself. He had to know that Uther had been framed from the beginning, that there was no chance he had committed the murder he had been arrested for. Merlin knew that unless he could prove that, there was no way he would be able to go through with it. It didn’t matter if he was Arthur’s father or not – if Uther had killed someone, then Merlin wasn’t letting the little boy anywhere near the man.

Deep down, Merlin knew the truth. He knew that Uther was innocent. It was why his heart was pounding so hard as he was shown into a room that was gradually becoming familiar to him. He didn’t have long to wait until Uther was shown in and yet again shackled into the chair. Merlin watched him intently as the guard settled the prisoner, trying to read in Uther’s body language whether he was looking at a cold blooded killer or a doting father who had been set up.

It seemed to take an age before the guard finally left, but still Merlin couldn’t bring himself to speak. Uther also seemed content to just wait it out, although he was the one to eventually break the silence.

“I assume Arthur is safe or you would have told me the second you walked through the door.” His voice was just as cool and controlled as ever and Merlin found himself gritting his teeth. He had to remind himself that this was the man who melted when Arthur came into the room, that he had spoken softly and gently to his son, making sure the boy would allow Merlin and Morgana to look after him. Uther had recognised they were the best people for Arthur given the situation and had put aside his own personal feelings in order to make sure that Arthur had the best chance. If Uther could do it, then why was Merlin finding it so hard?

He nodded curtly, shifting position as he did so. Eventually, he sighed, running his fingers through his hair and blowing out a long breath. It wasn’t as if he had all day, he knew the guards would end their time if they thought they were truly just sitting here. They had better things to do than play chaperone.

“Did you do it, Uther?”

“Do what?”

Merlin closed his eyes as he tried to find his courage. He had hoped Uther would be on the same wavelength as him and not make him say it. But then again, the old king had never made Merlin’s life easy, why should now be any different?

“Did you kill Catrina Kobold?”

Merlin – not for the first time – found that he was grateful for the sheet of glass separating him from the ex-king. Otherwise he was sure that Uther would have tried to go for him in one way or another. He supposed he couldn’t truly blame the man, that wouldn’t exactly be the sort of thing he would suddenly want to hear either. But after a few moments of glaring (and Merlin desperately trying not to squirm), Uther finally looked away.

“What do you think?”

“I think I need to hear the truth from you once and for all. I am attempting to look after and keep safe your son. I would like to know the truth, for Arthur’s sake.”

“The truth? The truth is…” Uther broke off and Merlin found that he was sitting forward without really realising it. He knew whatever was about to come out of Uther’s mouth would indeed be the truth. He could just sense that the man needed to say it as badly as Merlin needed to hear it. Uther had the same reasons as Merlin – for Arthur’s sake the truth needed to be out there for them both to know what they were dealing with.

“The truth is that I have been set up from beginning to end. I barely even met the woman, a business conference and that was it. Morgause wanted Arthur and they were prepared to do whatever it took to get hold of my son. They planted the evidence, manipulated the tapes, found a judge who was corrupt enough to force the verdict… I had nothing to do with her death and I…” Uther broke off, glancing away as if he didn’t want to say anything else. Merlin thought he knew what was going through his mind. He didn’t want to say anything that might make him appear as weak. Merlin lent forward.

“You what?” He wasn’t trying to push Uther, he knew that would be cruel. But he had come here for answers and any sentence the man left unfinished was potentially another lie. Merlin needed to know what was going through the man’s head in order to know whether freeing him was the right thing to do.

“I was going to say I need Arthur to know that,” Uther muttered, avoiding Merlin’s gaze. “But then I thought it was perhaps best if he didn’t know I had been convicted of murder. We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms in the last life and I know the Arthur then would have believed I was capable of it. I don’t want my son to look at me with the same disappointment in his eyes that he did last time.”

Out of all the answers Merlin had been expecting, that was certainly not it. He had never truly thought of things from Uther’s point of view, but those words had shown the man behind the tyrant king. Uther clearly knew that he had failed as a father back in Camelot, the Kingdom had always come first no matter what. But this was his chance to start over again, a chance to be a dad to Arthur. If there was one thing Merlin had never doubted, it was that Uther truly loved his son.

Somehow, hearing the man’s vulnerability made up Merlin’s mind for him. He would be no better than Morgause if he left Uther here knowing that he was innocent just to keep him away from Arthur. He somehow had to fix this, had to give his king his life back. Merlin stood up and Uther started.

“Where are you going? That’s it, no more questions?” The mocking tone was back in his voice, but it was too late. Merlin had seen through it.

“I have someone to threaten,” he said calmly, watching Uther’s face carefully. The man looked utterly perplexed and it was nice to know that he hadn’t been using Merlin’s feelings for Arthur as a way of exploiting him for his own use.

“What do you mean?”

“You were set up, Uther. And Arthur needs his dad. Now all I have to do is go and inform Cendred that it is in his interests to listen to what I have to say.”

“You’re going to help me?”

Merlin moved towards the door before stopping once and turning to look back at Uther. He regarded him coolly.

“No. Never for one moment think I’m doing this to help you. This is all for Arthur.”

And not waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and left.

MMM

“You said what?”

Merlin sat back on the sofa with his hand over his eyes, almost as if not seeing Gwaine would be able to drown out his friend’s voice.

“I know, I know…”

“So not only is it enough of a challenge for us to go against the bad guys, you now want us to threaten Cendred into admitting that he is the one behind the murder so that Uther will be released and can play daddy again?”

Merlin dropped his hand in order to glare at Gwaine. “Don’t make it sound like it is so unreasonable. Arthur needs him, Gwaine. I think now more than ever now that he is knowing he is safe. What are we supposed to do with him? My mother is right, we’ve got no idea how to raise a child and I won’t be the bad guy in Arthur’s eyes. Besides, if Uther is out, we’ll get our flat back.”

Merlin watched as Gwaine’s eyes lingered over the small pair of trainers resting next to his own on the floor and the toy cars that Elyan had managed to dig up for Arthur. There were signs all over the place that there was a five year old living there. Gwaine shrugged.

“I’d rather lose the flat than send Arthur back with Uther if the man isn’t meaning this seriously.”

Unable to stop himself, Merlin grinned. Never did he think the day would come when Gwaine sounded so protective over a five year old. Something told Merlin that his friend would have been like this whoever they were and the fact that it was their king had just added to the emotions. He leant over and gently squeezed his friend’s shoulder.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure. I wouldn’t have battled against the worst kind of magic to get Arthur back if I was just going to hand him over to his father. I won’t lose Arthur to Uther again, but this is the right thing to do… Uther is innocent and we…”

“We have Cendred still in the isolation room at the hospital. Nimueh scared him good with whatever she did to him.”

Merlin nodded.

“That’s why I think this will work. He’s already wary of magic considering everything that has just happened with Nimueh and Morgause. We simply make it apparent that he either confesses to Catrina’s murder, or we take his memories as well. Something tells me that Cendred isn’t the type of man to deal well with threats. He’s all talk.”

“Fine, but let me do the threatening.”

“What? Why? That’s the fun part!” Merlin let his voice take on a lighter tone, trying to lift the tension that had been subtly settling between the two of them. Gwaine rolled his eyes as he shoved at his friend.

“You couldn’t scare anyone,” he mocked and Merlin found himself grinning. He let his eyes glow gold and for his power to fill him up, dimming the lights as he did so.

“Oh really?” Even his voice had deepened and everything about him seemed to crackle with a dark energy. Gwaine looked at him steadily for a long moment.

“Really.”

Merlin let the power fade as quickly as he had let it come and sank back into the sofa.

“You can do the threatening if you promise to never do that in the flat again,” Gwaine murmured, causing his friend to look at him in surprise.

“I thought you said…”

“I know what I said. Just…don’t do it again, okay?” Merlin somehow got the feeling that Gwaine had been lying when he had said that he hadn’t looked threatening. Whatever had just happened then had unnerved his friend and Merlin felt like kicking himself for being so stupid. Gwaine had been understanding and accepting when he had found out about the magic, appreciating why Merlin had kept it from him in Camelot. The last thing the warlock wanted was to isolate him now. Yet he didn’t think he did have the ability to look at all intimidating, his power wasn’t that strong.

But Merlin stopped his thoughts there. His power might have never been that strong up until now, but their final fight with Nimueh had changed something in him. He felt stronger, more powerful and yet more at peace with himself at the same time. It was a feeling he was still trying to process and knew for now that he had to put it to the back of his mind. Something told him that Gwaine wouldn’t appreciate talking about it after what had just happened.

“Am I doing the right thing?” Merlin found himself asking instead. He knew his friend would be honest with him no matter what, and the tension lining Gwaine’s face seemed to melt away and he smiled.

“Your mother and Gwen have been right all along. We’re not parents, Merls. We’re muddling through this. What about school and life in general? We can’t move on with our lives if we have a five year old in our midst, no matter how much we love him. I know he is your destiny, but he is still Uther’s son. A kid needs his father, trust me.”

Remembering how even in this life Gwaine had been left to grow up with no father, Merlin found himself nodding. He knew the feeling. Deep down, he knew that he already knew he had to do it. He had to give Arthur the chance at a normal life and that wouldn’t happen while he was staying here.

“I saw you talking to Elena earlier,” he teased, deciding it was time to talk about happier things for a while. To his delight, Gwaine blushed and immediately made a comment about Percival and Freya getting along well. Merlin knew his friend must have had true feelings for Elena if he was changing the subject, for usually Gwaine would boast and feed his own ego if they were discussing a beautiful woman.

Glad the topic was back on more familiar ground, Merlin gradually relaxed into the sofa. One leg came up to curl underneath him and he rested his head on his arm as he lent back. If he was honest, he had missed moments like this as well. He too had had a life before their memories had returned, but it was as if everything had been put on hold the second they realised they didn’t know where Arthur was. Almost as if his thoughts had floated out of his head and down to his own room, a pyjama-clad figured appeared in the doorway, a toy dragon clutched firmly under one arm and his hand rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

Merlin glanced over his shoulder and smiled, and it was all the invitation that Arthur needed to move across the room and clamber up between them. He instantly curled up small, tucking himself into Merlin and leaning his head back on the warlcck’s chest.

“Bad dream?” Gwaine asked softly, only for Arthur to shake his head stubbornly.

“Can I just stay with you for a bit?” he asked quietly, already knowing what the answer was. Merlin ran his fingers reassuringly through Arthur’s hair as Gwaine smiled and the two men carried on their conversation, albeit adapting it slightly due to the five year old now sitting with them. As they talked, Arthur gradually began relaxing back against Merlin and the man made sure he kept his fingers moving. It was an action that had soothed Arthur so many times in the last few weeks he knew that if it had been a bad dream, this would be enough to banish it. After half an hour or so, Gwaine suddenly scrambled out of his jumper and rested it across the now dozing five year old.

“I hope that answers your question about whether you are doing the right thing.” The man said quietly and Merlin simply looked at him in confusion. How would this help him to know when it felt right soothing Arthur. Gwaine saw his look and shrugged.

“If the nightmares are ever going to go, he needs a routine, a sense of normality. Uther can give that to him, we can’t considering the magic in this place.”

“Are you saying…”

“I’m not saying anything about the magic, mate. But I’m pretty sure that it has no part in raising a child.”

Merlin sighed and rested his chin atop Arthur’s head for a moment. He knew that Gwaine was right, and it wasn’t as if he wouldn’t be in Arthur’s life at all. He just needed to convince himself that Uther was the right person to hand Arthur over to. Aware that Gwaine was watching him, he forced a grin.

“We go to Cendred tomorrow.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much more to go now, folks.

Merlin stood in the doorway, drumming his fingers against his leg and trying to resist the temptation to check his watch again. He knew that it would have barely moved on by a minute since the last time that he had checked, but he couldn’t help it. He was on edge and the fact that Gwaine was taking forever to come into view was grating on him. Leon and Percival were already waiting in the car, having overheard Merlin and Gwaine talking the evening before and realising that there was another part to the mission of keeping Arthur safe. This time, it wasn’t just keeping him safe but keeping him happy as well.

It was early, barely even dawn. While there was no real need to go this early, they had all agreed it would be for the best. For one thing, it would mean there would be far fewer people around the hospital so there was less chance that anyone would see them. Merlin knew this whole operation had to be done under the radar. If anyone connected them with Cendred, they might start asking questions as to why Cendred had suddenly confessed. Merlin knew that was potentially getting ahead of himself, they hadn’t achieved anything yet, but he also knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

But the second reason was because they didn’t want Arthur knowing. Merlin knew that should the boy awaken and find that Merlin was gone again, he would kick up a strop that would have the whole flat – if not block – awake within seconds. But Merlin couldn’t bring himself to lift Arthur’s hopes and make him believe that they would be able to free Uther if this all feel through. Merlin was aware that Arthur already seemed to believe the warlock could do anything and Merlin couldn’t bring himself to see the look of disappointment on Arthur’s face if this didn’t work.

Before Merlin could dart back inside just for one last check that Arthur was still asleep, Gwaine finally appeared. The glare Merlin shot him would have been enough to make most cower (and they were hoping Cendred in the process) but Gwaine simply blinked at him.

“Aithusa fell out the bed as I passed. If you wanted Arthur to wake up when he realised he couldn’t find that damn dragon, then I could have been here on time.”

Merlin softened his look into one that was more apologetic. He knew that he was on edge and taking it out on Gwaine wasn’t going to get them anywhere. He shut the door softly behind them and followed his friend down to the car, smiling gratefully when he saw that Percival was holding it open for them. Once they were in, Leon didn’t need prompting and quickly sped towards the hospital. Merlin had wanted to do this alone, knowing it was different to anything they had done before. It had always been about getting Arthur back and going against a magical force in the process. This time, they were going against the law and Merlin knew they were playing by a very different set of rules. But when it came to Arthur, there was no way that Leon was about to stay behind. And after Gwaine had declared that he was coming, it didn’t take them long to realise that if they were going to be able to intimidate Cendred, it might be helpful to have Percival there as well.

The journey was a familiar one now and they were there in no time. Everything seemed quiet and deserted and Leon took a moment to make sure the car was positioned in such a way they could make a quick getaway if this went wrong. Leading the way, Merlin doubled around the back of the building and slipped through their normal set of doors. In just a few steps, he was at the office that Cendred had used as his own. Right now, Elyan was in it. They had decided it was a bad idea to simply leave Cendred. At least this way they could get him food and anything else he might need while making sure that he didn’t get out. They had been taking it in turns, everyone except Merlin and Gwaine. The last thing they wanted was for Arthur to begin asking questions about where it was they were going.

  
“Merlin? Guys, what are you doing here?”

  
“Is he still in there?”

  
“Of course,” Elyan almost looked affronted by Merlin’s words and the warlock made a mental note to apologise later. He hadn’t known what else to say though and without another word, he led the way to where they were holding Cendred prisoner. He saw them coming, his lip curling in disgust as they approached.

  
“Well, well, well, look who it is. If it isn’t the little magic boy? Got your king back? Surprised Nimueh didn’t kill you.”

“Who is to say I didn’t kill her?” Merlin asked, his voice quiet. He knew what he needed to do. He had known it since the night before and Gwaine had reacted to the way he had used magic. Shooting his friend an apologetic look over his shoulder, Merlin let the power fill him up again. The lights dimmed and the air seemed to crackle with energy. Merlin was vaguely aware of Elyan swearing under his breath, but he kept his attention locked on Cendred. The man’s eyes widened.

“You’re not strong enough to do that. You had no more power than Morgause and she couldn’t use it for tricks like that.”

  
“Are you forgetting that I defeated Morgause? And I’ve defeated Nimueh. You underestimate me if you think that is all the power I have.”

“You’re bluffing.”

  
“Try me.” Knowing that this was the man Arthur had been terrified of meant Merlin had no qualms about drawing the magic in around him, shrouding himself in power and causing the glass between him and Cendred to vibrate slightly. The man took a step back.

“You won’t hurt me.”

“Are you really prepared to bet on it? He still has nightmares over you, in a way that he never did over Morgause. You terrified him, tormented him even and I am not about to let that go.”

“Fine, then kill me.” Merlin smirked and he knew that it had the desired affect when Cendred stepped back again, visibly swallowing. It was clear that he still believed Merlin to be bluffing, that he didn’t think he would actually do anything.

“Why would I kill you when I have other ways of taking your life?” When Cendred remained quiet, Merlin quickly pushed on before he lost his nerve.

 “You are going to walk out of here. You are going to walk down the road to the police station and you are going to tell them that you are guilty of the murder you framed Uther Pendragon for. You will explain how you killed her in a way that fits with the evidence but doesn’t have any questions asked that you do not want to be answering. Then you will say how you planted the evidence and drugged Uther before taking his son. Do you understand?”

 “Why should I do what you say?”

 “Because if you don’t, I’m going to take your memories the way I took Morgause’s. They’ll give you life, you’ll be old by the time you get out but you will still have some life left. Maybe you could even make something of it. But if you don’t help me, then your life as you know it now is over.”

 Without saying another word, Merlin turned and walked off. He didn’t make it far though, just disappearing around the corner before he leant against the wall, blowing out a long breath and letting the magic fade as he realised that he was shaking almost violently. Within seconds, Gwaine had also rounded the corner.

  
“Remind me to never play poker against you,” Gwaine muttered and Merlin found that was enough to make him grin. He had been worried that his friends would believe his threats and would think that he had been prepared to go that far. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to get them to believe him when he said that it had all been talk. He had sworn, for Arthur’s sake, that he wouldn’t lose himself in this battle to get their lives back. After coming this far, he wasn’t about to break that promise now.

 “Do you think he believed it?” Merlin mumbled, suddenly scared that it hadn’t been enough. Gwaine nodded.

  
“A man like that is all talk, always has been. That’s why he hid behind Morgause, knowing that her magic made him seem more of a threat than he actually is. He’ll do as you say, Merlin, the guy was almost crapping himself when you left.”

 “Almost?”

 “Well, Percival was stepping forward when I came after you, so I would say that he was crapping himself by now.”

 Despite himself, Merlin had to laugh. He took another deep breath and nodded to Gwaine, grateful for his friend’s support. Before he could say anything else, Percival and Leon walked around the corner.

  
“Time to go?”

  
“What about..?”

 “Elyan’s handling it. He’s coming to set the locks up to open in half an hour. He’ll come back with us and we’ll be back at the flat before the doors open. Then it will just be a matter of seeing how long it takes for that git to realise that he is free.”

  
“What if he doesn’t do it though? What if he just runs?” Merlin knew that he was sounding desperate, but even Leon’s calming voice had been unable to cut through his fears that they were actually just helping Cendred to get away with everything. It was Percival who stepped forward this time.

  
“You might have been bluffing, Merlin, but he doesn’t know that. He just knows that you have single handedly defeated Morgause and Nimueh. He’d rather build his empire in prison than not have an empire at all.”

 Merlin nodded. He knew that there was nothing he could do but wait now and see what happened. The longer they stayed here, the more chance there was they would be seen. Leon saw the way he softened.

“Let’s get out of here. Elyan is meeting us at the car.” The four friends started heading towards the door when Merlin suddenly thought back to what Percival had just said.

“You are wrong, you know.”

“Oh?”

“I didn’t do it alone. I’ve never done any of this alone.” For the first time in over a day, Merlin found himself genuinely smiling at his friends. They were all in this together, they always had been. Without them, Merlin knew that he would have never have got Arthur back. It didn’t matter what happened now, they had tried. He had to believe that was good enough and just hope that Arthur understood if they had to explain it to him. Leon chuckled and ruffled his hair in a friendly manner.

“Careful, you’ll get soft if you talk like that and then who are you going to be able to threaten?” Merlin shoved his hand away and poked his tongue out in response. The four of them let a silence fall between them as they moved to the car, revelling in the feeling that they had finally done all they could and might have just won. The silence was only broken when Elyan joined them and an argument started over who was going to sit in the front. Thinking they were acting more like a five year old than Arthur did, Merlin smiled and slipped into the front himself while they were bickering over it. Leon grinned as he got into the driver’s seat and it was only when the engine revved did the others realise what was going on.

 Knowing that he had tried his hardest, Merlin had a smile on his face the whole way home.

 

MMM

 

Three days later, however, and the smile had been well and truly wiped off Merlin’s face. He had spent all morning trying to work out how to tell Arthur that they had failed. There had been absolutely no word from Uther and they hadn’t seen any evidence that Cendred had done what they had asked of him. Merlin knew it would only be a matter of time before Arthur started asking about his father and Merlin knew it wouldn’t look good if he had known all along they wouldn’t be able to free Uther and hadn’t said anything.

  
Gwaine knew he had been building up to it so had got Arthur his favourite breakfast and played dragons with the boy for a while to keep him calm and happy while Merlin secretly fretted. He finally had Arthur sitting on the sofa in front of him, the little boy swinging his legs back and forth.

 “Arthur, I need to talk to you.”

 “’kay.”

“It’s about...” Before Merlin could get another word out, however, the doorbell rang. For a moment, Merlin almost forgot Arthur’s age and swore, only just catching himself in time. But now of all occasions? Gwaine had been lurking in the doorway and he promptly disappeared. Merlin heard the door open and knew that his friend would most likely get rid of whoever it was. He turned his attention back to Arthur.

 “It’s really important...”

 “Merlin!” Gwaine hadn’t come back into view, but Merlin knew by his tone of voice that he was being deadly serious. He wasn’t interrupting just because there was some cold caller at their door. Merlin found himself exchanging looks with Arthur as he lifted himself off his knees.

 “What is it?”

 “You might want to come here.” Arthur clearly knew that it was safe – knowing Gwaine would have not have told Merlin to come if it was dangerous – for he jumped off the sofa and hurried out into the hallway before Merlin had taken a step.

  
“Daddy!”

 The excited squeal made Merlin stop dead for a moment before almost running out into the hall. Sure enough, Uther Pendragon was standing in his hallway. Arthur had jumped into his father’s arms, hugging him tightly. Merlin had to wonder if he realised how long it had been since he had last seen his father and the fact that it was so much longer since he had been able to touch him. Arthur had wrapped his legs around Uther’s waist and Merlin found there was a small smile on his face as he watched one of Uther’s hands gently cradle the back of Arthur’s head as he held his son close. It didn’t take long for Arthur to start wriggling before jumping down again.

 “You’re here, Daddy! Are you staying for tea? Are you going to live here as well? You can have my bed! Well, it’s Merlin’s bed but I’m sure he doesn’t mind. He can share with Gwaine. Have you met Gwaine, Daddy? Have you? He’s funny!”

  
“Arthur.” Merlin found himself flushing as he gently reminded the boy to breathe during his spill of words. He didn’t know whether he should be now that Uther was standing there. The man didn’t seem to notice as he crouched down and gently took Arthur’s hands in his own.

 “No, I’m not here to live, Arthur.”

 “Oh.” Arthur was chewing on his lip as he looked around at Merlin, clearly confused. “But...”

 “I came to see if you wanted to come home with me. You can be in your own bed, with all your toys and books and clothes again. Would you like that, son?”

 Arthur looked at Merlin again, but the warlock made sure he kept his face neutral. This was what they had been aiming towards, this was what they had wanted by managing to get Uther out. He knew that this had to be Arthur’s choice and his choice alone, Merlin couldn’t influence it either way or this would just be the beginning of their problems.

“But what about Merlin? Can he come too?”

 “This is where I live, Arthur, you know that.” Merlin said gently, his heart swelling in fondness over the fact that Arthur wasn’t prepared to just leave straight away. He had been worried that as soon as Uther came back, Arthur would almost forget about him again.

 "Merlin can come and play though, Daddy? He can come round all the time? For if he doesn’t, I...” Arthur clearly didn’t know how to finish his sentence and Merlin found himself locking eyes with Uther. They had gone against the law to blackmail Cendred into admitting his guilt, but Merlin knew they couldn’t go against the law when it came to Arthur. If Uther wanted him, and wanted to insist that Merlin had no contact, it was within his rights as the boy’s father. Their future rested on Uther’s next words, for Merlin wasn’t sure whether his magic would allow him to be simply shut out of Arthur’s life as if he had just been a means to an end and nothing more. Eventually – after the longest wait of Merlin’s life – Uther smiled at Arthur.

 “Whenever he wishes it, Arthur.” Merlin knew a diplomatic answer when he heard one. He was giving permission without promising that Merlin would be over all the time.

 “But for now, why don’t you and I go home?”

 “Okay.” And just like that, Arthur clutched onto Uther’s hand, waved happily at Merlin and Gwaine and allowed his father to lead him out. As soon as the door shut, Gwaine moved forward.

 “Merls?” His tone was concerned, showing he clearly didn’t know how Merlin was about to react. Merlin himself didn’t know until he recognised the feeling swelling up in him as one of relief. Now they would be able to start moving on with their lives, everything was back where it belonged.

 “I’d murder for a beer, you want one?”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Thank you so much for all the support with this and a special thank you for those who have taken the time to let me know what you think!
> 
> Hope you like this final chapter!

Merlin didn’t realise how used to having Arthur in his life he had become until the child was no longer there. A few days passed and he was missing Arthur almost desperately, wanting to be woken up by something being thrown at his head no matter how much he moaned about it. It was something that the old Arthur would have done, and although the missiles tended to be more of a furry variety than cold, hard goblets, Merlin was still missing it. He knew that Arthur was only a few streets away – the irony was not lost on him how close they had been together for all of this time and not known it – but Merlin had been reluctant to go around there. He hadn’t even wanted to call.

He knew that he was being silly, that Arthur was no doubt missing him as well. Yet there was something holding him back. What if Arthur wasn’t missing him? After all, the little boy had adapted well to life in the flat without his father around, and that had been living with the man for the first five years of his life. Would Arthur already be forgetting him now that their few weeks were over and his life had gone back to what he had always known? Merlin knew the only way to find out was to just call and see, but he knew the fear of Arthur not wanting him around was preventing him from doing so.

But at the same time, he knew something had to change.

  
Gwaine had never left his job and so had immediately been able to return to work. He didn’t have a choice, having received too many warnings about the time off that had been occurring. Merlin had met his friend’s boss over the years though, he knew the warnings wouldn’t go any further than that. He also knew how much Gwaine loved what he did and that he was good at it. The man wouldn’t want to miss any more time and so his job was safe.

Merlin, however, was a different story entirely.

As soon as their memories had returned, he had left his job. He had never wanted to do it anyway, but they had needed the money to be able to afford the flat. But as soon as he realised that Arthur wasn’t about to turn up, Merlin had quit. He knew that once he started looking for his destiny, he would never be able to focus on work. He was glad that he had, for at the time he hadn’t realised quite what would happen once their search for Arthur truly began, nor had he known that they were looking for a five year old child.

Gwaine hadn’t said anything and Merlin had known that while Arthur was around, his friend wouldn’t. He probably wouldn’t even be thinking anything about it. But it had only been the night before when Merlin had seen the way that Gwaine’s face had fallen slightly when he opened the post and had looked at the bills for that month. Merlin knew that he could potentially solve any money problems now that his magic was back to what it used to be. Yet at the same time, it wasn’t truly going to solve their problems.

Merlin hadn’t left the flat since Arthur had gone. Admittedly the first day he had spent asleep, letting his body catch up with some rest as it tried to settle the newfound power into place and stop Merlin feeling like he was almost rigid with tension. But since that, he had no desire to. Everything he needed he could get with magic and he was beginning to think there wouldn’t be a job that would hold his interest. What could compare when the only job he really counted was being a servant to the Once and Future King? Something told him that wouldn’t go down well in interviews.

He had told Gwaine that he would start looking and Merlin intended to stick to that promise. But he just couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to start looking.  He was seeing solutions with magic everywhere he turned, what sort of job would be able to hold his attention for long enough? All of his friends – and Arthur – would be the first to say that Merlin didn’t think about what he said. He would no doubt get himself fired within a week and then be stuck back at the flat.

But he also knew that would destroy his friendship with Gwaine.

It was on the fourth morning after Arthur had left that Merlin decided he needed to get his act together before his mother realised his line of thought. He had no doubt in his mind that she would be quick to tell him what she thought of his defeatist attitude. He had forced himself to rise at the same time as Gwaine and seen the relief in his flat-mates eyes over the knowledge that Merlin wasn’t going to spend the whole day in bed moping again. It had caused a twinge of guilt to shoot through the warlock and he had flicked through the paper, stopping on the job’s section while eating his breakfast.

Nothing appealed, but he knew he had to start somewhere. But just as Merlin reached for a pen to start circling, the phone rang.

“Be here by 9am.”

That was all the voice on the other end said before hanging up, leaving Merlin staring at the phone. There was only one person he knew who would talk to him like that, and Merlin’s mind was racing as he tided his things away and got dressed. Why couldn’t Uther sound more human on the phone, or at least given a little more information? Had something happened to Arthur? Did Uther need Merlin’s help again, or was he just after some answers about precisely what had been happening while he had been in prison? What if he still hated magic and he was furious at the amount Merlin had been using it in front of Arthur?

Hating the way the man could still make him feel like nothing more than a servant, Merlin wrapped himself up against the cold and left the flat. He knew full well that he was going to be late, but he didn’t particularly care. The time Uther had rung meant there was absolutely no way Merlin would have made it over there in time so the warlock didn’t see any need to rush. He intended taking his time, but then realised that his nerves were growing with every step. That coupled with the fear that something had happened to Arthur meant Merlin ended up giving in and practically running the last part.

Ringing desperately on the bell, Merlin tried to force himself to calm down, knowing that he couldn’t let his magic react in front of Uther. He didn’t want to give the man a reason (in case this was about something different) to stop Merlin from seeing his son. Taking a few deep breaths and hearing footsteps echoing deep within the large house, Merlin craned his head back to view the building properly. He hadn’t exactly been given the chance the last time he was here and Merlin had to marvel at the place. Uther had certainly done well in this lifetime as well. As Merlin looked up, he saw a head poke out of an upstairs window. Arthur’s yell of delight made Merlin smile before the head disappeared.

Uther reached the door before Arthur made it down the stairs and Merlin tried not to swallow nervously at seeing the man framed impressively in the doorway. Uther couldn’t do anything to him in this life, he didn’t have that sort of authority. Merlin forced himself to swallow hard and lift his chin.

“Uther.”

It felt strange addressing the man by his first name, but Arthur caught up with them before anything more could be said.

“Merlin!” Before Merlin had the chance to react, he had a five year old practically catapulting himself around his waist as Arthur hugged him tightly. “Come and see my room, Merlin, come on...” Tugging on his hand, Arthur tugged Merlin over the threshold. Merlin let himself be pulled in but before he could take another step, Uther put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“I need to have a word with Merlin here, son. Why don’t you go and get dressed?” It was only then that Merlin realised Arthur was indeed in his pyjamas still and the warlock had to smile at seeing they had dragons all over them. It seemed Arthur wasn’t about to change.

  
“But then he can come and play?”

“Yes, Arthur. He’s not too busy, he’ll play.”

“Hey!” Arthur had already scampered off by the time that Merlin voiced his protest. “Precisely what was that supposed to mean? How do you know that I’m not too busy?”

“Well, you don’t have a job, do you?” Merlin knew it was not a question but a statement. He scowled at the judging tone in Uther’s voice but still obediently followed the man when he led the way through the house. To Merlin’s surprise, they ended up in a vast and somewhat luxurious kitchen.

“Make sure he drinks his orange juice in the morning and he can only have pancakes on a Friday if he has been good all week,” Uther declared as he drained his own drink before frowning at Merlin. “Understood?”

“No. What the hell are you talking about, you’re his father.” Merlin knew there was no doubt as to who the “he” was, but he was confused at what Uther was trying to say. The man glared at him, so Merlin simply glared back. When it came to looking out for Arthur, he was not afraid to let his true feelings show. To his surprise, Uther sighed and glanced down. He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it over.

  
“What’s this?” Merlin asked, trying to refuse to take it. Uther managed to get it into his hand though.

“Your first week’s wages.”

  
“My..?”

“I need to go back to work, boy. Arthur needs that routine back or he won’t have the chance at a normal life. I need to earn the money to make sure he has a future, we can’t all magic our problems away. But I also need to go back for me. The job was my life before Arthur was born, and I can’t just shut myself off from it. I imagine it is like you shutting yourself away from that pesky power of yours, it eats away at you. Claiming it his imagination for now is fine, but how am I supposed to hold onto a caretaker for him considering who he really is?”

  
“You mean to say...”

“I’m hiring you, Merlin. We have a housekeeper, you won’t be expected to do any of the domestic things. But you will be expected to look after my son. He’s returning to school next week – you are to get him ready, take him and pick him up, help him with his homework and that sort of thing. The school hours are your own to do with as you please, but I expect you here until I get home from work and you are to stay on the days that I have to travel for business, is that understood?”

This time, Uther didn’t wait for an answer but instead strode from the kitchen. Merlin could hear him calling a goodbye to Arthur and he shakily opened the envelope. The cheque inside made him gape and he wanted to refuse it.

But then he thought of how much he could treat his mother and Gwaine with that sort of money. He would be able to take Arthur places, give him a proper childhood. Not to mention he knew that Uther could afford it.

As Arthur bounded down the stairs – dressed this time – and eagerly tugged on Merlin’s hand, the warlock allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs and taken to see Arthur’s toys. The boy didn’t know that he had already been there once.

 

MMM

 

“Do you want a beer, you looked done in, mate?”

Merlin opened his eyes to where Gwaine was standing over him, a smirk on the man’s face but shook his head. He gestured down the hall.

  
“I’m still technically on duty,” he moaned, his tone portraying that he would love a drink. He had been Arthur’s carer for a month now and it was exhausting. Uther was on a business trip, but Merlin had quickly made it clear that Arthur would stay at the flat on those occasions, a place where he felt safe without his father being there. It seemed a dream still on most days – once again he was being paid to look after Arthur. He would say it was more demanding considering Arthur’s age, but he could still just pick him up if Arthur wouldn’t behave. He also had mastered a look that made the child realise he had overstepped the mark and Merlin felt proud of himself that he didn’t just give in to the young troublemaker.

Arthur had improved so much since they had fallen into a routine, turning back into a happy child that made Merlin laugh even when he was supposed to be pretending to be cross. Getting him to start school had been interesting and even now Merlin knew that he was having trouble making friends. He was sure that it would only be a matter of time, however. The teacher had been told some of what Arthur had been through (leaving out the memories and the magic) and informed Merlin regularly that he was coming on fantastically considering what he had to overcome mentally. The nightmares had stopped and he seemed to have made it his life ambition to see how far he could push Merlin.

The happier Arthur became, the more content Merlin was.

“He’s asleep,” Gwaine protested, clearly thinking that his friend should relax and actually have a drink now that it was so late. But just as he spoke, there came the pattering of feet down the hallway. Arthur didn’t say a word, he simply climbed up on the sofa and snuggled next to Merlin, pushing a DVD towards Gwaine with the indication that he wanted it put on.

“Please?” His eyes were so wide and hopeful that Merlin could see Gwaine instantly melt and he had to grin, although he tried to hide it as much as he could.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Merlin interrupted, knowing that he had to maintain his tough position if there was any chance of Arthur listening to him. The child, however, clearly had other ideas as he yawned and cuddled in. It was only then that Merlin realised that he was casually stroking Arthur’s hair. No wonder the child felt like he could get away with anything, especially as Gwaine had already given in and put the disk in.

“Only this once and as it is a Friday.” He tried to keep his voice firm, trying to make it seem like he was the one in control of the situation. He knew the truth though. He knew that it hadn’t been him since Arthur had walked through the door. But the pretence was all he had left and Merlin wasn’t going to let that go without a fight.

“Yay!” Arthur’s happy exclamation was enough for Merlin to grin and drop the pretence. His arm settled around Arthur’s shoulders as he hugged him back.

“And don’t tell your father.”

As Arthur nodded his understanding, Gwaine put the disk in and moved through to the kitchen, clearly still after that drink. By the time he returned, Arthur had already fallen asleep against Merlin’s side.

  
“Want me to take him back while I’m up?” Gwaine asked but Merlin noted with a grin how the man’s voice had automatically dropped to little more than a whisper. Merlin glanced down at the peaceful expression on Arthur’s face.

  
“Nah, leave him here a little longer. I don’t want to wake him back up, he’s a nightmare to get back to sleep again.” Merlin now had an extra month of bedtimes added on to the time that Arthur spent in the flat before and he knew they were the most troublesome part of the day. He also knew why, however, and knew that if Arthur was going to have any bad reactions to anything that had happened, then it would be while he was asleep. They might have eased as the month had gone on but Merlin knew it didn’t take much to set Arthur off again. Gwaine nodded and perched down on the arm of the sofa, making sure he didn’t disturb the now-sleeping child.

“Merlin, if I ask you something, will you promise not to snap at me?”

“Of course,” Merlin straightened up a little with a frown. It was unlike Gwaine to sound so serious and he felt concern shoot through him. Arthur snuffled slightly in his sleep and the warlock forced himself to relax again, knowing that Arthur always seemed quite in tune with how Merlin was feeling. He denied it, but Merlin had seen the way the five year old reacted strongly when Merlin was emotional. He ran his fingers through the boy’s hair, keeping him calm.

  
“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I hope. Merlin... are you happy?” Merlin gaped at Gwaine in astonishment. The man truly thought he would get angry about him asking something like that. Glancing down at Arthur, Merlin smiled. It was only a small smile, but it was genuine. He seemed to almost light up from inside and he nodded.

“Yes, Gwaine, I am.”

He had never meant towards as much as he did right then. His destiny seemed to be back on track, Arthur was happy and safe.

  
What more could he ask for?


End file.
